What The Film

Took my first shot at pinhole photography this past weekend.  I took about 20 exposures before getting to the end of a 24 exposure roll.  Out of those, only 4 were able to be developed.  A few things I learned:

1) Never open the camera to check if the film is in place before you've finished the roll.

2) Never turn the Advance knob in the opposite direction.  If you do, don't open the camera to check if the film is in place before you've finished the roll.

3) Always bring extra rolls...just in case you open the camera to check if the film is in place before you've finished the roll.

It will take some time to get used to shooting pictures like this.  The biggest difference is not having the luxury of immediate feedback via digital playback.  I found myself greatly missing my DSLR...especially when the sunset started to explode in colors after I had finished my only roll.  The photographer 50 yards down shore was recording it all with his massive lens, while I basically had a cereal box attached to a tripod.

At least the Holga was a bit easier to use.  All the square format images were taken using the Holga.

The obligatory shot of Rain.

There it is.  The cereal box.

One of the four pinhole shots that came out.  I think the exposure was probably around 15 seconds.  I didn't do a good job of documenting...too busy trying to keep Rain from running into the water.

The Silver Lining

My camera stopped working while I was taking pictures of Rain this afternoon.  My heart sunk.  

But just for a moment.  Life is pretty good if this is the biggest thing I'm worried about

I'm sure there is some sort of silver lining to this cloud.
  
That's how it is with photography sometimes.  You'll get ready for a sunset shot, but the sun is nowhere to be seen.  Then before you know it, the clouds start glowing red, purple, or orange.  The best sunsets, real and figurative, happen when the sun has to fight through the clouds.

September 2012. It was one of those evenings.  Clouds everywhere. Then a combination of the sinking sun and smoke from summer wildfires turned the clouds pink and purple.  The colors were boosted a little in post, but only to the extent that I remembered the actual colors being.  It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen.

Even if it is a dull, gray sunset there is always next time.