Eating and Instant Film...

Music | You Wish by Nightmares on Wax

I bought myself a box of Fuji FP 100 Colour Instant Film the other day because the black and white Fuji 3000B has been discontinued. Though you can still buy it, it is difficult for me because I have been used to paying under $10 a box. The local photo shop is now selling it for $25... The colour version still can be had for about $12.50 a box, 10 exposures.

I remember in the mid 80's when Fuji came out with this film giving Kodak 669 a run for its money. The Fuji was a better product in that if gave the same typical Fuji saturated colours, rendering beautiful peel apart prints. It has probably been 25 years since I last bought this film. I never made the switch as I was used to the Polaroid product and it was also significantly cheaper.

Now as the tick tock  comes near the end, I'm getting my instant print gratification as I can. I thought about this for a bit as I could obviously shoot digital without having to spend dime and shoot til the sun goes down... I'm roughly spending a $1.25 per exposure with the colour Fuji. At this point, the black and white is costing me $2.50 per pull. I'm down to my last 4 boxes... I spend $80 on a camera that I knew would be a door stop in the next few years along with another $50 on a lens with hours of modifying time to put the 2 together... I am but a poor starving artist, and yet I go out and buy instant film, film, chemicals and spend hours to get a final image.

The satisfaction level, even with instant film exceeds what I shoot digitally. I'm not speaking about analogue vs digital debate, but I just know my soul gets fed a much more rich and satisfying meal...

Hollywood Camera

Music | Into You by The Cinematic Orchestra

Between running errands today, I knew I'd be driving by Hollywood Camera, my most favorite camera shop in the city. Ed, the proprietor has been there for decades and knows his cameras. He only deals with analogue photography equipment and has photographic history in and all around the counters of the shop. He sells and processes film, all kinds of film cameras, darkroom equipment and items you might not find anywhere else.

I've been visiting his shop starting about a year after I moved to Portland. Since then, I stop in at least once a month to see what he has. Often, he pulls out something special to show me. I was asking him about a Rollei 35 that I had recently seen. Ed says for me to wait a second... He goes to his back room and pulls out a pristine Rollei 35S. The creme de-la creme of that model. He goes on to tell me about the superior optics of the Sonnar lens that is on that body, pulls out some prints that he had recently shot with that camera and suggests that I have not seen anything sharper or with that superior colour rendition. I agree...

As I initially walked in, 2 younger gents where in talking with Ed about a very nice looking Rolleiflex. He know immediately that even though the camera looked pristine, and was described as hardly used, he knew to be extra careful with it. His knowledge of cameras is amazingly vast and he also knew a hardly used camera might not work hardly used. He goes on and tells the kids that the lubricants of the camera, maybe over 40 years may have dried up and instead of doing its job, would create brittlenss and possibly break some internal parts. Ed's mannerism and hand gestures shows how serious he is about this matter and the kids listen with sincerity.

Later, a gorgeous young woman comes in, looking for a Polaroid Land Camera. As if he knew she was going to come, he has one waiting on the counter. We both learn she is an avid film shooter, of Polaroid, 35mm and 120 film. When she left, I say to Ed, "You get the best customers working in this shop!" He goes onto say that he loves how the younger generation has taken to film and the analogue ways.

If you are ever in town and are looking for some film gear, I highly recommend seeing Ed at Hollywood Camera. If not to buy, just to stop in and see all of the various cameras he has on display. It is quite a journey!