Film Friday - 8

The return of Film Friday! It's been several months but I've finally gotten around to finishing a couple rolls of film and even got them processed. One of my problems with film is that I shoot it very conservatively. The other problem is that I have at least three or four film cameras loaded with film at any given time. So I might go out with one or two cameras and shoot a few photos on each, and then not touch either of those cameras for a month or more. In a way it makes the developing more exciting because more often than not, I've completely forgotten what is on each roll. 

So here is a sampling of film photos taken between July 2014 and January 2015. 

Somewhere in North Carolina

Pilot Mountain.

Kaylah on a snowy day after she finished shooting outfit photos.

A desert of ice and snow.

Snow storm from a rooftop.

The overlook at Gambrill State Park.

I posted the digital version of this photo a few days ago.

Kayaking the Cuyahoga River.

A decommissioned lift bridge.

Watching a ship pass while taking a break from a bike ride.

Camping in Pennsylvania.

Photos taken with a Canon TL QL, using Kodak Ektar 100, and Fuji Superia 200, films.

Brite Winter

I love living in Cleveland, especially in the Ohio City neighborhood. What I don't love, is the winter, of course as Clevelanders we tough it out and do our best to make the most of it. That's why every year they have Brite Winter, art and music festival in Ohio City. Eight stages, games, art, food trucks, bonfires, and tons of people. Now, Ohio City gets pretty packed every weekend, but during Brite it's an absolute mad house, but in a good way. A quick walk from my house and I'm in the middle of a festival with all of my friends.

Kaylah and I started at Town Hall where we met up with Brandon and Rachel as well as Rachel's parents. Also, let me just say that if you haven't eaten at Town Hall go there tonight and order the prosciutto wrapped dates, you're welcome. 

After Jason met up with us we headed over to Mitchell's to say high to everyone from CLE Clothing. CLE had these awesome hats and I regret not buying one. From there we walked ever to the main festival area where they had games, more stages, and ice sculpture with a bonfire inside, and loads of people.

Jason about to pick up a spare.

Food truck food is the best!

Live painting at Great Lakes Brewing Company.

The ice sculpture melting away.

I look forward to this event every year. It's the not music, or the art, or any one thing in particular that makes me enjoy this so much, instead it's the camaraderie. It's putting up with freezing temperatures with all of my neighbors. It's getting outside despite the cold to enjoy all of the great things that this wonderful neighborhood has to offer.

Photos taken with a Canon 60D, using a Canon 10-22mm f/3.5, and Canon 35mm f/1.4 lens. 

Another Snowy Day

I will gladly complain about the cold and the snow to anyone willing to listen, but today I decided to put my whining on hold. I came home from running a few errands, grabbed my cameras, and went out to climb a bridge.

Normally I shoot this place at night, but it was nice being able to shoot it during the day time for a lot of reasons. First of all, I didn't have to lug a tripod up with me, and secondly, everything looks different in the light of day. It almost felt like a completely new location despite the fact that I've been up here dozens of times.

Photos taken with a Canon 60D, using a Canon 20mm f/2.8 lens.

Wanderlust

I am thankful to have found someone who not only understands, but also shares in my wanderlust. Kaylah and I both love to travel, and we both agree, that the destination isn't the most important part, it's the journey. For the last month I've hardly picked up a camera. When I did it felt forced and contrived. Cabin fever, the cold; they had gotten to me. So in a spur of the moment move, I booked a hotel in Norfolk, Virginia, and two days later we were off. Why Norfolk? I'm not really sure. It just seemed like a good stopping point. 

Day one: We drove, and drove, and drove. The only place we stopped was the scenic overlook at Gambrill State Park. We tried finding a few other places to photograph, but nothing panned out. 

Day two: We got up extremely early, grabbed Starbucks, and went to the beach. I'm not sure what the temperature was. With the windchill I'm assuming it must have been well below zero. My hands could barely work my cameras. Watching the sunrise on the beach was great though. 

The start of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and tunnel.

The sun coming up over a freighter.

This is where my love for the journey really kicks in. The old state routes that have since been replaced by much larger freeways are full of great roadside treasures.

I photographed a lot more, but I was trying to focus on taking more photos with my film cameras, so hopefully I'll have those online in the next couple weeks.

Photos taken with a Canon 60D, using a Canon 20mm f/2.8 lens.

House Explosion

This morning shortly after 9 AM a news alert popped up on my phone. A house had exploded on W. 33rd and caught the neighboring houses on fire as well. My first thought was to go shoot photos of it, but then I remembered that I was hungry and should probably focus on drinking coffee and eating cereal. Of course the urge to capture this event got the better of me and I quickly grabbed my camera gear and headed out the door. 

When I got there the street was blocked off and the flames had been subdued. The smoke was still pouring out of what was left of the house. Amazingly no one was seriously hurt and only one woman had been taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Some of the residents of the houses affected where huddled in blankets on the porch of the house across the street. Their faces wrought with sadness and disbelief at what was unfolding before their eyes. They sort of just stared blankly at the smoldering ruins. I didn't think it was appropriate to take any photos of them. My heart hurt for them and I wanted to say something to make them feel better, but what do you say to someone who just lost everything?

The news crews were already busy interviewing anyone with information about what was going on.

Apparently they knew right away that it was most likely arson.

There was so much smoke. Even now I can still smell the smoke on my clothes. I have no idea how these firefighters manage to see anything.

It was interesting to see the firefighters working to put out the fire in one home from inside of another.

It's pretty incredible to witness these men and women in action. I can't even imagine how difficult their job is. Not only do they run directly into harms way, but they also have to carry such heavy equipment through smoke filled buildings, and even when the fire is out they're still there breaking open walls with axes in order to find any remaining hot spots. It's a display of overwhelming bravery and physical strength, and I have a great deal of respect for them.

Check out the full story on NewsNet5.com

Photos taken with a Canon 60D, with a Canon 135mm f/2.0 and a Canon 10-22mm f/3.5.