Hi Everyone,

Where has this week gone?!  I've got a lot of things on my plate right now (that I will be able to share more about later) but I just wanted to thank everyone for the overwhelming response I received on my post from last week - The Coming Change.

I received comments, emails, and even had some phone conversations about it.  There are certainly a few unknowns in the process, but I am so excited about my work and what the future holds.  Because of some questions I received, I wanted to share a few resources that have helped me re-learn about film and discover some awesome things. 

The first thing - and the one that started it all for me - was listening to the Inside Analog Photo Radio podcasts.  It was last year when my Dad told me one evening about listening to some podcast about film and some guy named Jonathan Canlas.  He insisted we sit down and listen to it right then so we did.  Then I listened to it again that night.  Then I subscribed to the podcasts in iTunes!  There is an absolute wealth of knowledge in those interviews and I would highly recommend them to any photographer, film or not.

Next up, the Analog Photography Users Group.  To be honest I haven't really gone in depth on that website, but there is a load of information on there about anything from large format to pinhole photography.

Another cool place to find information is the Film Is Not Dead blog.  It's based on Jonathan's workshop that he teaches, and there's a lot of things on there that I found very neat.

For someone wanting to learn some photography basics sprinkled with film info here are there, I would recommend the Art of Photography video podcasts by Ted Forbes.  I couldn't find a direct link, but you can just type it in to iTunes and it will pull up.

A book resource would be Weddings Unveiled.  It features a bunch of different photographers and many of them use film or are 100% film based.  The interview section talks about the specific equipment that they use which is pretty neat.

Lastly, Google is your friend.  Yes, you'll get a ton of websites with worthless arguments like "digital is better than film" and "no, digital is worthless" and so on, but there are people out there with good information for people who really want to learn.

Hope this helps a few of you film-junkies-in-hiding out there!  Have a great and safe Independence Day weekend everyone...

Best Wishes,
Michael

I'd like to welcome a new addition to the family...

Mamiya 645 AF arrived today looking bright and perky, weighing in at just over 4lbs with batteries and an 80mm f/2.8 lens!  What a joy to hold.

She's had a long journey so I'll let her rest for a day or two...

:-)

Best Wishes,
Michael

Hello Everyone,

I have been photographing weddings for 11 years and love what I do for a living.  When I first began, I used film.  Aside from a few people who had incredibly fat pockets that was about the only choice at the time!  In 2005 I transitioned to a digital workflow, albeit kicking and screaming.  The protest wasn't out of "longing for the good old days" or any other sentimental value, but simply because I was hesitant to trust digital media as much as film.

In my experience, the digital images were not as rich as the film images.  Sure, they were sharper and in some cases more vibrant, but they didn't fully match what I had hoped they would be.  Still, I made the switch because of the immediacy of the medium and felt my clients would benefit from that.

Fast forward another few years to today and now another change is coming.  It's not in the direction that many photographers are going by adding the latest and greatest DSLR and capturing video at the same time.  It's not by adding all kinds of impressive new products and astonishing gadgets to my bag.  It is a return to simplicity.

As I referenced last week, several months ago I began to feel that my vision had been clouded by several things.  One of them was equipment, and the other was being focused on too many things other than the moment itself.  So I decided to do something about it.  Use film.

Ah yes, that old stuff.  The medium our parents and grandparents used.  Their cameras didn't have 1080p and ISO 25,000, yet we treasure those images; there is just something special about holding childhood prints in your hands.  They are timeless.

I used a Minolta X-300 and a Yashica 635 and captured some images that sparked my curiosity.  After investing an incredible amount of time testing film, researching film, and praying about film...I am choosing to take my imagery to a film based product.  Why?  I could give you a bunch of reasons and talk with you for an hour over the phone, but the main reason is that it fits the vision of what I want for my art.  In no way am I condemning digital, nor am I saying that it will be completely out of my bag.  However, it will not be the primary focus of what I will offer in the months to come. 

I'll close by sharing a few film images from some recent sessions.  They don't look anywhere near as amazing as they do in person, and oh how I wish you could see these prints and hold them in your hands.  The prints have depth, amazing color, and such warmth.  They are truly - straight out of the camera - beautiful.  After looking through several hundred film images with me, Leah said it best with this sentence..."they are real life".

This post would not be complete without thanking a few people who have mentored me along the way with lots of helpful insights and discussions. 

Jonathan Canlas
Leah McCormick
Richard Israel

Another special thanks to Richard Photo Lab for absolutely rocking my world.  Your quality and customer service is second to none!  I am so excited about what the days ahead hold in store for our relationship.

Best Wishes,
Michael

P.S.
The wedding images were taken while working with my buddy Doug Miranda - more to come from that wedding soon!