Frocktober concluded...

When I last blogged about Frocktober, I had managed 11 days straight and I was pretty proud of myself...

Unfortunately, my run didn't last the whole month - however I did manage 20/31 days for Frocktober!! I'm so pleased with that! It was more than I expected to once it started getting cold and wet and I got sick (a few days were spent in PJ's...) and to begin with I never imagined I would even make the 11 days, let alone 20!! HURRAY

I'm so pleased to also announce that the AMAZING Anna, who inspired me to do this managed to wear a dress for the whole month(!) and she also raised her target of $500 AUD for her cause, isn't that wonderful.

Here are some outtakes of my dresses/outfits as well for your amusement, I believe you can still donate towards Anna's page, so if you are feeling generous, head on over.

p.s. A few things I learnt from Frocktober.... I love polka dots, especially brown ones, I am not willing to get wet feet for anything, I am not a fashion blogger or even anything near to one haha, I really like earthy colours and patterns and I am more than happy wearing jeans everyday!!

Happy Birthday to my lickle Sis...

Happy birthday Mikela!!!

You complained that there wasn't enough photos of you, so here you are :)

I love you, even if you are taller than me now...

Have a wonderful day!

This photo cracks me up - I was obviously a confused witch or ghost...
and you can just see Mikela's face, hahaha.
We were cool.

Edit: Mikela insist's we are both still cool.
I think not quite as cool as this though :)

Cameras I use on my blog...

When I first put this list together it was a lot shorter... so I've tried to break it down so it's not quite so much to take in.

All of the cameras that I used/have used take 35mm film
(other than the instant cameras)

~ ~ Cameras I love and use all the time ~ ~



~ Holga 135bc ~
This was my first lomography camera and really the camera that caused my love of photography and cameras again. You can read me gushing about it more here.

Pros: Great vignetting, clear results and its so versatile, it can take any film and its easy to use.
Cons: Other than forgetting to check its not on bulb mode (N not B) None. haha. I love it.

~ Diana Mini ~
It took me much longer to learn to love my Diana Mini than my Holga, but I do love it, especially in the square frame mode. You can read more about why I love it here.

Pros: Beautiful, dreamy results, square mode, compact.
Cons: Temperamental, need patience, needs higher iso films and lots of sunshine.
(Also same issue with the bulb mode - N not B!)


~ Superheadz Wide and Slim Yellow Peace ~
A simple point and click 35mm camera with a wide lens.
I had wanted one of these for such a long time before I got one and I haven't been disappointed by it, the colours and tones are beautiful, the results are consistantly great and its so simple to use.

In fact, if you're new to 35mm film and a little scared of the Lomography cameras buttons and unpredictable results, I would recommend one of these as your first plastic camera... no bulb mode, no focus, no mx button, just you and the shutter.

Pros: It's yellow! Simple to use, beautiful results, great for locations with the wide angle lens.
Cons: My only complaint is you can't do multiple exposures but thats a personal preference.

~ Refurbished LC-A ~
One of my newest cameras and definitely one of my favourites already. My LC-A is from 1992.
With further aperture settings than the holga and diana and a light meter, this camera is perfect for most situations and creates amazing results.

Pros: Again, this camera is perfect for most situations and creates amazing results.
Cons: You can't do multiple exposures, if you want these, get the LC-A+. Also you can't use the Lomography LC-A+ accessories with it.

~ Yashica Samurai ~
The best camera Thomas has ever found for me!
Technically a SLR with an autofocus, this half frame camera is amazing. I love the zoom, it captures details perfectly and the results are always stunning. It's my go to camera on holiday.

Pro: It has a zoom! Also, you get double the photos, what you see through the viewfinder is what you take and it has beautiful grain.
Cons: Heavy, needs a battery which is quite hard to find.


~ Fuji Instax Mini 10 ~
This camera is fun! So so fun. I love it so...
I personally love the colours from these and its the perfect companion to any of my 35mm cameras whereever I go.

Pros: Beautiful colours, instant fun, perfect for a gift or your wallet.
Cons: The film is ISO 800 so can over expose in the sunshine but its rare.

~ Lomokino ~

Normally, it takes me a few rolls of film and a couple of months for me to truly love a camera. But this, one I fell for straight away. Not because of its looks, though it looks fine. Not because of its ease of use, as we’ve had few bumps along the way. Rather, because of its results. I love that I can now have videos that are in a format that I think reflects me the best: film!

Pros: The resulting videos look amazing and it's a really fun camera to use.
Cons: It needs a lot of film, it's a bit tedious to scan and put together the videos and it needs practice for loading as the process is quite different from other cameras. Worth all the effort though I think.

~ ~ Cameras that I love and should use more ~ ~


~ Recesky Gakkenflex ~
My first TLR camera to take photos with. To be fair I haven't had this camera long but because I made it, I love it. I know how it works, I know that its missing a screw somewhere and its yellow! A fun experience to make and to shoot. I love it far more than I should perhaps.

Pros: It's yellow! Fun to make, really helps to explain how a camera works, light and great results.
Cons: Takes longer to make than it says and you have to really decipher the instructions but I'd say that is part of the fun!

~ Yashica Autofocus ~
Another wonderful Yashica autofocus camera. I'm always really pleased with the results from this camera, the grain is always lovely with great contrasts.

Pros: Easy to use, focus options, great results
Cons: Although great results, they have a similar look to the Samurai, which is why I don't use it as much.


~ Olympus OM-10 ~
This is my Daddy's camera, so I love it for that. But its also a very impressive SLR with great results. However it scares me a little as I don't really know enough about SLR's to use it properly, I need to learn more about this camera definitely.

Pros: It's an SLR, amazing lens and results.
Cons: It's an SLR, it's a bit more complicated than my other cameras.

~ Action Tracker ~
An amazing gift from one of my best friends which I still love. It's fun, provides great action shots and I love the results.

Pros: See above
Cons: This camera needs a lot of light, a high iso film and preferably action.


~ ~ Cameras I am learning to love ~ ~



~ La Sardina Sea Pride ~
My latest Lomography camera and my latest love/hate conquest.
A fun, pretty looking camera with unique fun results. I'm looking forward to using it more.

Pros: Great wide angle lens, looks amazing, fun to experiment with
Cons: Clunky and awkward.

~ Olympus Trip ~
I have wanted one of these for so long that I can't actually believe I have one. They are just as pretty in person. And Thomas found it for £10!!! Have I said before thats hes my camera finding hero? He is. Anyway, this is a gorgeous camera, but I've only used one film (which I haven't posted here yet?!) and quite a few were blurry so I'm going to have to put a bit of effort into using this camera. I'm really looking forward to it though.
(photos to follow, I can't believe I haven't posted them!)

Pros: Solid, compact, sturdy camera with great results when you get it right.
Cons: None yet, the mistakes were mine, not the cameras...

~ Ricoh 500G ~
I nearly didn't buy this camera, it was a little bit more than I was willing to pay but an amazing old man in the charity shop turned out to be quite a knowledgeable fellow and convinced me into buying it. I'm so glad he did as even though I've only used this camera once too - I can't wait to use it more and learn about it.

Pros: Like the Olympus Trip, a sturdy camera with great results when you get it right.
Cons: The light protection stuff inside mine is falling apart, its quite common with these cameras apparently. It's easily replaced but I actually like the light leaks for now.


~ ~ Cameras I wish I could use more ~ ~
 

~ Polaroid 600 ~
Like the OM-10, one of my polaroids (I have a few) is my parents camera and I really wish I could use it more but the Impossible Project film, right now, is too expensive and too unpredictable for my tastes. I love the consistantcy of my fuji instax mini's and they haven't faded whilst the only Impossible films that I've taken have. Hopefully the film will keep getting better and perhaps one day I'll use my polaroids again.

Pros: You can acheive some amazing results with polaroids, a lot of my favourite photographers take the most amazing polaroid photos and they are great cameras.
Cons: Film is expensive and unpredictable at the moment.

~ LC-A + ~
This camera would be in the cameras that I love category apart from one massive hurdle... I don't actually have one - hence its in the cameras I wish I could use more category :) I decided to categorize it seperately from the refurbished LC-A as the cameras are slightly different and so are the results. Both are great cameras though.

Pros: Amazing results, a great camera with some extra settings compared to the refurbished LC-A's, multiple exposures especially you can do and also combine accessories from Lomography with.
Cons: I don't own one... even though I do have a refurbished one.

~ Cameras I've used but probably won't use much more ~ 

~ Instax Wide 100 ~
I'm kind of sad that this camera is on this list as I was very excited about it when I found it (for £4! ha!). However I just can't bring myself to like it... I've had mixed results with the photos, the camera is huge and heavy, the flash is massive, bright and annoying and honestly, I'd rather just use my instax mini camera. It's not a bad camera, don't get me wrong, other photographers have produced amazing results, but I just didn't click with it, so I never bought any more film for it.

Pros: Bigger photos than the mini.
Cons: Heavy, mixed results, annoying flash.

~ 35mm Panorama Wide Pix ~
This is a fun camera, but its not a true wide angle lens, just a standard lens with a cropped frame inside which just annoys me as it wastes film really. Fun for a few tries, but not really a keeper.

Pros: Fun and simple to use with good results.
Cons: Cropped frame rather than a wide lens.

~Yellow Lomolitos camera ~
This one was a hard camera to categorise as I do love the results I've had from it and the flash is also perfect for parties etc. However, I've used it twice since I've had it... so I think this will be a limited use camera as I have so many others that I would use before it.

Pros: It has a flash, its compact and easy to use. Also, it's yellow!
Cons: It's meant to be a disposable, so you have to wind the film fully onto it before you can use it - not a problem as such but a bit tricky and a worry when loading the camera.

~ ~ ~

So there is the round up of all the cameras I've used so far on here - I'm actually amazed that its as many as that. I'm sure the list will get bigger...

Paris in Film: Kodak Portra Vivid Colour

As I mentioned yesterday, I love the Kodak Portra films and the Yashica Samurai is the perfect combination with them. Professional standard film in an SLR camera can not be beaten for quality really...







Location: Paris, France
Camera: Yashica Samurai
Film: Kodak Portra VC 160

Films I use on my blog...

As I got more adventurous with my cameras, I got more adventurous with the films that I started to use. Here are the films that I've used on my blog so far...

~ Kodak ISO 200 ~
A simple colour negative film that I buy in bulk whenever I see it in Poundland. It's the first film I tend to use in my cameras, as its so cheap and I'm always happy with the results. My holga loves this film, whilst my Diana Mini, not so much...

~ Lomography Colour Negative 400 ~
It took me a little while to realise that colour negative is just colour film, but it does sound posh I guess. This film has an ISO rating of 400 so is more sensitive to light than the Kodak 200 film. I really like the results from this film in all the cameras I've tried it in, and my Diana Mini likes it too which I like. It also captures yellow extremely well, hurray.

~ Lomography Colour Negative 800 ~
I've only used this film a couple of times and both of those with my actiontracker but I think its the perfect film for multilens cameras due to the tiny aperture of the lenses and the sensitivity of the ISO 800 rating of this film.

~ Lomography Redscale 100 ~
I'm a little undecided about this film. I love how dramatic it is with the bright yellows and the deep reds... but it does look a little creepy at times.

~ Lomography Redscale 50-200 ~
I will admit that I love this redscale film more than the 100 redscale film. So much more.
The tones are just beautiful and it works well in all weather conditions and I have had the best results with it in my Superheadz Wide and Slim camera. Love it!!

~ Ilford XP2 ISO 400 ~
Another film that I completely love. This is the first black and white film that I've tried and although its developed with C41 chemicals rather than true black and white chemicals, I still think its fantastic. The tones are soft, yet there are strong contrasts when you need them and combined with my Diana Mini, this film is truly artistic.

~ Expired film ~
Expired film is a bit of a risk but I love using it and so far my results have been beautiful, very soft with subtle colours and tones.
I need to use expired film more.

~Lomography Xpro Chrome ~
This was the first ever cross processed slide film that I tried and in a word it is gorgeous. Seriously, just gorgeous. The colours are deep, the tones are dark and sultry and the colour shift is subtle with beautiful blues and richer reds. Another film that I really love.

~ Lomography Xpro ~
After trying the Xpro Chrome I was very excited about trying other cross processed film but I'm still not convinced with this film, its very green. However, the colour shift with sunsets is impressive and the distortions are much stronger in comparison to the Xpro Chrome... I think it may be a grower.

~ Kodak Portra Neutral Colour (NC) 160 ~
This film is a dream. I'd heard so many good things about it before I used it and it turns out they were all true. The grain is fine, the colours are soft and gentle and it is happy with a SLR or a toy camera which makes me happy. A wonderful film, yet a tad bit expensive for my budget, so its my little treat to myself.

~ Kodak Portra Vivid Colour (VC) 160 ~
Like the NC version of this film, it is a dream. The colours are definitely more vivid in comparison but the grain is still perfect and the quality of the results is wonderful. Another amazing film.
(photos and link to come)


~ Kodak Elite Chrome ISO 100 ~
 I'm honestly a little bit disappointed that I've only just discovered this film, as Kodak have recently announced that they will stop producing slide film... and I absolutely love the results that I've had from this film so far. The colours are so gorgeous with warm orange tones and stunning blue skies. a truly delightful film that I'm sad to see discontinued.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

So there is the round up of the films I've used so far. It was more than I thought but I can still think of others that I want to try. If you have any recommendations, definitely let me know.

p.s. I was going to make this a page but you can't comment on them and I like comments,
especially if we're discussing film.

Paris in Film: Lomo Redscale XR

Once again I used my Lomography Redscale XR film in my superheadz camera - I love finding combinations that really work together and I was very excited about taking these two to Paris with me.

My favourite thing about this film is the variety of the results and how it is a true reflection of the light around you. It varies between soft and warm when there isn't as much light to bright and vivid when the sun is gleaming around you. As you can see, the weather on the days I used this film greatly improved, so the contrasts became much stronger.



You can see the entire roll of photos here - there were too many to post.

Camera: Superheadz Wide and Slim Yellow Peace
Film: Lomography Redscale XR
Location: Paris, France