If you have been following my recent SX-70 posts, you will know that I have a fanatical desire to reign in the capricious behaviour of SX-70 cameras and films, all in an attempt to maximize the quality of the ejected photos. This has included a deep-dive into the Zone System, using a calibrated variable neutral... Continue Reading →
A Review of Polaroid’s Affordable Now+ With Manual Control: Is It Worth It?
NOTE: You will find the YouTube video version of Using Contrast Filters with Polaroid SX-70 Black and White Film at the end of this post. Polaroid recently introduced the Now+ camera, a box-style camera based on the original OneStep design but with one unique feature: using the Polaroid app, which can be freely downloaded for... Continue Reading →
Fine Tuning SX-70 Exposures with a Variable Neutral Density Filter
Note: There is a video version of Using the Zone System with Polaroid SX-70 Film, Part 1 at the bottom of this post. It would be nice to adjust exposures in ½ EV increments with my MiNT SLR670-S camera. Unfortunately, the camera can only make full shutter speed adjustments, one EV at a time; there... Continue Reading →
The Polaroid Folding SX-70 on Steroids: A Review of MiNT Camera’s SLR670-S
The MiNT SLR670-S (right) and the original Polaroid Alpha 1 (left) One of the frustrations of working with the Polaroid SX-70 camera is its fully automatic exposure system. As a well-seasoned photographer, I am accustomed to being in full control of setting aperture f-stops and shutter speeds to determine the correct exposure for my pictures.... Continue Reading →
The Socially-Distanced 2020 Holiday Gift Guide
What can I say? How can I put together a compelling list of travel-related gifts in 2020? For Canadians, travel anywhere beyond the boundaries of our home province is a risky, if not entirely outlawed, activity. And it is possible that this will be the state of affairs until late 2021—at best. For 2020, I... Continue Reading →
From Our Windows Book Launch
Winnipegger’s new book explores self-isolation through the lens of a Polaroid camera. On December 10, 2020 at 7:00 PM CST, David Firman will hold a virtual book launch and reading via Zoom. The event is free but pre-registration is required. The registration form is here: https://www.firmangallery.com/BookLaunchRegistration. David Firman’s new photography book, From Our Windows, tells... Continue Reading →
Walk To The Airport: A Photo Novella
Walks are sequential events. So, it seems to me that the comic book/manga/fumetti/graphic novel format would be an ideal means of presenting a photo walk. Here's a little experiment.
First Snow in Black and White and Polaroid
My Polaroid work of late has been entirely in colour, using the latest iteration of Polaroid SX-70 colour film. However, for some time I have coveted the opportunity to play with Polaroid's Black and White SX-70 film. After all, I was a black and white film photographer for twenty-plus years leading up to my introduction... Continue Reading →
Vintage Inglis Grain Elevators Meet Vintage Polaroids
"A group of five grain elevators in Inglis in the Rural Municipality of Riding Mountain West is one of the last remaining examples of a once-common prairie icon. Now preserved as a national historic site and a provincial historic site, the Inglis site represents an important period in the development of Canada’s grain industry from 1900 to 1930. The history of the... Continue Reading →
Polaroids On The Beach
It was a warm summer afternoon, a good opportunity to walk along the shoreline of Lake Winnipeg. Just up the eroded slope, Gail and Styxx (our greyhound) lounged in the yurt we had rented for a few days at Camp Morton Provincial Park. Down here, the lake was calm, gently lapping on the smooth stones... Continue Reading →