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Photo Series

I'm not a photographer. Nor will I ever claim to be, but I like taking pictures. I actually have very little interest in digital photography -- although I have respect for those who do it, and I understand that it is in many ways logistically better, I have no desire to take pictures that I can delete with no consequence. I'm fickle enough as it is, and a digital camera would probably just make me doubt myself too much to actually ever take a good picture.

So here I am with a film camera, which is more expensive per picture, but I guess cheaper overall if you consider that I picked it up from the thrift store for $40 (compared to paying $1000+ for a DSLR). Yes, you have to wait for each roll to come back, but that's part of the fun. Delayed gratification is underrated.¹ It's also hard to beat the quality of film photos. Although every film grade has its own amount of grain, its analog grain and not digital grain and tends to be quite beautiful, in my opinion.

In part to mirror how I experience the development of my photos, I plan on releasing a photo series from each roll (or perhaps multiple rolls, if it seems appropriate) as a downloadable zip file on my site. Check the home page for updates, I will always post it as news when I post a new series. Head to the downloads page and check under "Photos" for the latest series. These series are intended to be somewhat arbitrary, simply a reflection of what I took pictures of during that time period. However, each zip will also include a README.txt file that will explain in further detail some of the context of each series. This will also of course include meta information such as the film it was shot on, what lens(es), what camera body, how it was developed, etc.

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I have intentionally packaged these as downloads rather than formatting them in a gallery on my site. Besides being kind of a pain, I think there's something special about a download. Each series is like a new present for my readers, if I may be so generous towards myself. Downloading them also allows you to examine them more closely, and in no particular order or arrangement. Take a second to open them in full screen, or open them all at once in small windows -- c'est a vous. I have no stipulations for how you experience these photos other than giving me credit if you share them anywhere.

As of the creation of this photo project, around February 2022, I am shooting with a Pentax MX SLR. This is one of the most famous cameras of the 1970s and 80s. Pentax made hundreds of thousands of these, and they're not hard to come by for pretty cheap. I found one in almost perfect condition, although the self timer doesn't work. It still takes great pictures and came with a nice 50mm/1.7 lens. Oh, and the light meter is one of the best.² It's a pleasure to take pictures with, and I intend to use it until it is no longer functional whatsoever.

Take a look over at the downloads page, there should be one or two series waiting for you, and more to come!