You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December, 2007.
Aspens in the snow in the Gila Wilderness, originally uploaded by Kevglobal.
I’m historically lazy about getting film developed, which I guess is why I love digital. I just got around to developing some film I shot on a walk through the Gila Wilderness in early December 2006. It was going to be cold so I bought disposable cameras. I know from experience that cold kills the lithium ion batteries used in digital cameras. When Suw and I went to Colorado in September, even though it was just chilly at night, not actually what I would term as cold, I still slept with my camera batteries to keep them warm at night. It made a huge difference. My friend Alain watched with horror as the cold – well below freezing drained his batteries in hours.
One of the disposable cameras I took was a Kodak C-41 black and white camera, which unfortunately doesn’t appear to be available in the UK. C-41 black and white film doesn’t require special processing. You can use it the standard labs common in most shops, and this film was developed with a one-hour batch processor at a high street snap shop. I was deeply impressed with the results. It captured the snow and scenes so well and managed to work in some extreme conditions both in terms of temperatures and in terms of light. My only regret is that with gloved hands, my finger often found its way into the shots. The viewfinder only lets you frame the image, not check to see if your finger was in it.
I’ll definitely have to consider shooting more with black and white film or even see how my digital works in black and white mode. Any suggestions on good digital cameras for B&W? I’m also going to shoot more with my Argus C-3. It’s not for action shots, but it has brilliant optics. Now, if I only I can break my bad habit of not developing film.
High Holborn test with a Polaroid Spectra AF, originally uploaded by Kevglobal.
A friend of mine back in Washington collects cameras, and in his collection, he has a few working Polaroid cameras. One is a Spectra, and I’ve always been impressed with the picture quality. He also had a large supply of beautiful Polaroid black & white film. He uses the camera to take candid snaps of friends and puts the pictures in a large ceramic bowl.
For out wedding, I thought it would be fun to get a Polaroid to take some quick snaps and then hand them out to friends at the wedding. I found a Spectra AF on eBay for a reasonable price. I picked up some film today, and the first test was a success. The colour isn’t brilliant, but then I was shooting up into a bright, albeit overcast sky. I’ve got two packs of film, but I hope to learn in one. At £20 for 20 exposures, it doesn’t feel cheap.
I’ve had a really hard time getting into any kind of holiday spirit this year. It’s been more than the usual crush of busyness before the holidays that can dampen the Christmas spirit, and I can’t simply put it down to feeling caught between Christmas and wedding plans, which has led to more than the usual sense of stress.
Possibly, it is that as an American abroad, there is no Thanksgiving to begin the holiday season. Suw and I did do Thanksgiving because she knows how much it means to me, but my family has had some very specific traditions around Thanksgiving. We had the traditional meal together, and then, the day after Thanksgiving, we often went to Milwaukee to go Christmas shopping. We would often have a German meal downtown at Karl Ratzsch’s or Mader’s. Apart from a few years, until I moved to London, this was our Thanksgiving tradition, and it set the stage for Christmas. I can still remember before I was even 10 going to Milwaukee with a little note pad in hand, writing down all the things I wanted for Christmas. And most years, I travelled home to celebrate Thanksgiving with my parents. Next year, Suw and I hope to go back to my home and celebrate Thanksgiving, possibly the last in the house I grew up in. My parents are considering selling my childhood home.
I’ve really tried to get into the Christmas spirit. I have listened to so much Christmas music, traditional and otherwise, that Suw is thoroughly sick of all of the Christmas music we have. I have watched a number of Christmas movies including the Charlie Brown Christmas special. But, it still hasn’t felt much like Christmas.
Today, Suw and I went down to Borough Market to buy food for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. There was a Salvation Army brass band there playing traditional carols in front of a giant Christmas tree. They played Silent Night, O Holy Night, Little Town of Bethlehem and the Holly and the Ivy. Finally, I felt that it was the holidays, and none too soon, it being Christmas Eve. Now, I can go to bed, feeling expectant that tomorrow is Christmas. Suw and I are going to take a break from wedding planning, tidying and other work and just enjoy the holiday together.
Holidays are important to me, not just for the time off, but it adds meaning to the year. The years passing can quickly blur together into little more than a succession of days, but taking time out to remember friends and family and share time with them, that is important. I can’t wait to make Christmas dinner with Suw tomorrow and open our gifts together. Merry Christmas!
This may be a cultural reference completely lost on people who aren’t from North America, well that and the fact that it combines a slightly obscure early 80s comedy act – Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas as Canadian brothers Bob and Doug McKenzie – with World of Warcraft machinima. It came up as my favourite radio station in the world KACV in Amarillo Texas was playing Bob and Doug’s take on the 12 Days of Christmas. It’s utterly bizarre, but not all cultural references should be high brow and coherent. Some should be random and completely obscure.
It’s an odd place the internet. Just when you feel about to be overwhelmed by yet another disappointing Monday, someone opens the door and reminds you of your mischievous side. (Thanks to Seb for the link.)
Recent Comments