film photography: Impossible Project colour experiments.

[left - failing to concentrate on my last ever day studying  right - the obligatory 'selfie']

These pictures are a little behind the times now but I finally have access to a scanner (and it is truly sad how much joy that little fact has brought me).  During my many years at university, at the end of exams every year I have treated myself to a disposable camera to capture that perfect, initial burst of freedom!  (You can see my disposable camera pictures from last year here).  This year being the last ever year I sit exams, I went all out and treated myself to a pack of Impossible Project film for my polaroid.  Sadly, Impossible Project film being what it is, only six of the eight photos worked out, but they were worth the hassle.

Not being a polaroid buff, I am not sure whether the yellow hue to all the pictures are a result of the film or the camera I am using (the Polaroid 636 Talking Camera).  I was initially a little disappointed with the results, hoping they would demonstrate the over-saturated blues and greens that some films seem to achieve, however they have grown on me hugely.  Each picture feels like it has captured a very happy moment.

[Left - celebrating James' birthday with our favourite people   Right - the last night out with my course friends]

Has anyone else got much experience of using Impossible Project colour film?  Any advice you can impart?

[Left and Right - trying to get a picture with a fidgety chicken]

A slightly lazy post.

I have so many things I wanted to share today (including the world's best post-it notes) but sadly it will all have to wait for another day.  See, after hours and hours of work and preparation, my dissertation project proposal has been rejected at the last possible hour.  I am now required to do two months worth of work in a week in order to meet the submission deadline, urgh.  So I can only treat you to a lazy post today instead of the one I had planned; this is one that has been on the back burner for such an occasion.

These are the pictures I took on my Diana Mini camera whilst visiting my Nonna over the summer.  The top picture is in the olive grove that my Nonna and Nonno planted when they first moved to Umbria, now inherited by my Aunt.  Each autumn they hand pick every olive then take them to a local press, resulting in the most incredible, peppery olive oil I have ever tasted.  The rest of the photographs were taken in my Nonna's new town, during our many explorations to drink coffee or beer or eat mountains of gelato.

Getting these back from the chemist was wonderful; that moment of not knowing what the package might hold and then finding memories that weren't present in the clean, crisp photographs of the digital camera.  Somehow these have captured the dream like magic of the summer perfectly.

So folks, thank you for bearing with me on this one and hopefully after this weekend I will have made up for some lost time and can return to normality.  For now though I am going to make myself some strong coffee...hope you all have lovely weekends :)

September's Collection.

The collection I wish to share this month is one that has kinda crept up on me, I mean until James pointed it out I didn't really consider it collecting, more hoarding I guess.  Basically, since discovering the Photobooth at the Arcade, everytime we visit (which is more than most children could ever dream of) we take a photobooth strip.

Weird looking though these might be, I love having these pinned up on my notice board. I am pretty lucky to have the friends I do.  Plus, when is a date to the Penny Arcade a bad idea?!

Disposable Joy // Snippets of Summer.

There is just something about disposable cameras that I really love.  It could be the blue tones of each photograph, or maybe the vignetting or perhaps it is simply the excitement of not quite knowing what I'm going to get back.  It's hard to say.  Recently our supermarket has starting selling disposable cameras in multipacks, so I have been trying to keep a few on the go at any one time, taking a couple snaps on each now and again.  Having them all mixed up means the photos I get back are always a surprise!

However this is relatively lame compared to some of the experiments being trialled by disposable addicts around the world.  I recently found this article on ways to use a disposable camera and it has become evident I need to step up my disposable game somewhat!  I mean, seriously, look at this Flickr group set up purely for photographs from damaged disposables - it is incredible the effects that can be achieved with a lump of plastic.  Plus, they can prove a significantly cheaper alternative to some of the Lomography Cameras - especially when you can learn to reload them!

Anyway, here are some disposable pictures of my summer.

Disposable joy

Every year towards the end of exams I reward myself with a disposable camera.  Not only is there the general joy and excitement of getting the film developed but over the end of exams there is an additional magic to be found in the change observable over the 26 photos!  From endless revision notes and cups of tea (and the minor breakdown observable in the third photo) the photos document anexponential improvement ending with barbeques in the sun and nights dancing with friends.  Oh, an immeasureable improvement!

The novelty of finishing exams takes a long while to wear off.  Today I am enjoying making summer plans still in my pyjamas and planning my next baking session.

What to do with all those Instax?

So, as can probably be imagined from my last post, I have a lot of Instax photographs knocking around my flat and whilst I am always on the hunt for ways to display them, most of them simply reside in a box on my bookshelf.  However, after my noticeboard in the bedroom fell off the wall yet again leaving an exhilarating trail of little pins over the floor and nestled snuggly in the rug, I realised things needed to change.  Whilst realising that what my toes require is a magnet board, it occured to me that Instax photos are the perfect size for turning into magnets!

So without further ado, here is another revision procrastination project:

 

I bought the sticky magnets from eBay but most craft shops seem to stock them.  The left is made from a reel of 'Magnet Tape' so it is quite narrow but works fine.  I prefer the right one, I just traced the Instax photo and cut out the magnet shape from an A4 sheet of sticky 'Magnet Paper', it feels nicer and looks smarter, but is slightly more expensive.  I guess which option you choose depends whether you're making magnets for yourself or for someone else!

 

Whilst at it I magnetised a few of my buttons, don't they make the best magnets imagineable!

All it remains for me to do is actually buy a magnet board so I can move these little fellas off of the radiator (although I secretly quite like them there)!

an instant addiction

I cannot sing the praises of my little Instax Mini enough but as it appears that everyone else in the blog world also loves this little plasticky lump of fun as much as I do I won't add another gushy review into the blogosphere!

What I will say, however, is that taking my Instax Mini backpacking around South-East Asia was a most excellent idea!  It endured a whole two months of heat, monsoon, mosquitoes and sweaty hands without a single glitch (or change in batteries)!  I love journalling whilst travelling, a book filled with memories, tickets and sketches makes the best memento and once you add in the instax photos to that mix, well, I'm pretty darn pleased with it!  Admittedly, I took about 150 photos, my backpack on departure was almost entirely filled with packs of film and colouring pencils, but here are a couple of my favourites.

They have to be in cheesy montage format as, being such dinky little photos, they don't blow-up all that good. 

If you're planning a trip, I'd start stocking up.

Pinhole Magic

My mum went to a workshop run by Justin Quinnell about a year ago and has been prodding me in the direction of his website ever since.  I eventually remembered to look and within seconds a new obsession had taken root in my mind.  Justin Quinell makes pinhole cameras in a variety of unusual objects (from the small; using film cannisters to the slightly larger; turning your whole room into camera).  For me the excitement was all about the beercan cameras.

I have now created a very professional darkroom set up in our bathroom; the developing trays sit in my bath whilst a bike light is duct-taped to the wall...but it works!  James' doesn't seem to mind too terribly, as long as the cameras are all made from Oranjeboom cans.

The results so far have been fairly mixed but each is magical.  Watching pictures spring up on soggy paper pulled out of a beer can feels pretty impressive.

This is clearly an ultra- ultra- wide angled lens!  My house sadly is sadly not the one on the corner really but it is a nice effect.