1 week ago
Currently I have a gig at Spoiled Milk. They are some seriously competent people, so beside making some dough, I become a better designer day by day. It’s a big win for me. I am going to work there for a couple of months and then (hopefully) start studying again. Fingers crossed.
1 month ago
Ran the first roll of film through the Digibase chemestry, and it went pretty decent, I’d say!
1 month ago
So, I’ve bought some chemicals. I want to get cracking, but I have so many unanswered questions. Hmm…
1 month ago
I don’t want to write articles here, I’m simply too lazy. So I’ve written a new themes that does require me to write page up and down everytime I have a quick point to make. Some nice things were said about my previous theme, so I’ve decided you may have it. I must warn you though; It’s probably full of fuck, so no warranties. Plus there’s a huge room for improvement – but hey, it’s free!
2 months ago
While the introduction of digital photography made film-manufacturers take a big hit, it probably also hardened the niche that is film photography. I cannot predict whether the niche is changing in size, or has come to a stand-still. Or even more important; If films will continue to go out of production, or if we have reached a point where the market is 1:1. One prediction is that people will lose interest and products will disappear, while another is that the such an exotic medium will continue to have followers. Either way; There are films out there I would love to try before they will or will not be discontinued.
Rollei Redbird 400
Rollei Nightbird 800
Fuji Natura 1600
Ferrania Solaris 800
Revolog Kolor 200
There are probably a lot more out there that I don’t know of yet. If you have a tip for me, please come forward!
3 months ago
The title is pretty much the conclusion. I like my eqiupment as simple as possible, surely you do too. Everybody does, right?
I spend most of my time trying to scrape together money for gear. If I didn’t, I could just work one day a week and be perfectly happy. Therefore it can easily be said that I’ve owned a lot of stuff, both equipment, gear and gadgets. Although, only so much stuff has stuck with me, where the rest have been sold off again. The thing all the good pieces have in commom is: they are downright simple.
By ‘simple’ I don’t mean intuitive or anything about the learning curve. I mean somethings that’s completely stripped of any functionality that could prove to be more or less redundant along the way. The equipment I like the best are that without useless functionality. This goes for hardware as well as software. There are lots of pros and cons about integrating some feature thus making it core functionality or not; It wouldn’t be very convenient if Windows wasn’t bundled with Internet Explorer, because then would would have to download Chrome via commands instead of the gui, after formatting. On the other hand it’s annoying to get a system bundled with applications you are never going to need, like a stocks market app for your phone or an anti-virus trial that you never knowingly asked for.
Let’s take some examples:
I hate Microsoft Word. I hate it because it tries to software for writing and layouting at the same time, but ends up doing a bad job at both. If you want to do a proper job, use specific software for the task at hand. Even Notepad is a better application for writing, it’s less cluttered with useless functionality.
I hate the iPhone. I’ve had several, and they’ve all failed. It’s important for me to have a reliable phone – that means I need a phone with as less core functionality as possible. iPhones have the most. So much stuff can go wrong with all those features, they are essentially time bombs waiting to fuck up when you need them the most.
This discussion can be applied to almost any piece of gear I can think off. You don’t really want a racing bike with spring suspension so you can both ride it on the track and in the mountains. It’s gonna suck at both. Instead of an iPhone, I have a camera, a phone, a watch, an iPod and various devices for gaming. And even though they are much heavier combined, they all do their respective job much better. Why? Because they are simple. They are made for one purpose, and does it well, and many of them will probably outlive me.
Machines with excessive functionality are only cool if you are going to do something half-arsed.
4 months ago
I’ve moved to a new apartment. Since I’m currently going to job interviews every day, while painting the old one, I’m rarely here. But it’s really nice, and I’m sure it’ll be nice to live here.
4 months ago
I’ve left my job at Gorm Larsen & Zornig. Details are not important, although the fact that it was not in the best interest of any of us is.
I’ve been spending some time contemplating what I am any good at, while working towards a state where I’m fully able to look forward to getting adopted into a new working family. I don’t mean to sound melodramatic, but at some point I was put into a weird headspace and it took a little while to get out of. At this point I’ve been to a couple of job interviews. Some have potential and some not. What’s really interesting about it is how different they’ve been. I’ve never really done the whole application/interview thing, so I’m surprised to realise how different they are from each other. Some care mostly for results and some for the process. Some are asking more about how I cooperate and some care mostly about specifications like education. Naturally I have avoided the latter.
The first one went plain out bad, we were in no way right for each other. Which is fine, that’s why they have interviews. However, they managed to catch me off-guard with some really simple questions that I for some reason did not expect. I was asked a series of questions where I had to choose between two scenarios, mostly about how I would picture the ideal working environment. How much art direction would I prefer, how often would I like to touch base, how would I like to brief the developers etc. By some reason I thought we were mostly going to talk primary skills instead of setup – but no. Which was great, because it made me think about my own priorities, which I needed for the next one.
For a moment, I forgot the fact that a job interview is as much about me checking if we could be a match as vice versa.
5 months ago
I’ve purchased a second-hand Canon 8800f scanner, and I’m now able to show you some of the pictures from the Fuji GW690II. I’m simply amazed. The lens is so sharp, even wide open! The contrast, the colours. Everything. Naturally, the images does not do the original justice, since it’s not really a professional scanner, but still it was a pretty good bargain, and I’m very happy to be able to share my pics online.
Abandonned building in Berlin
Fuji Reala 400
Café in Berlin
Fuji Provia 400x
Stefan
Fuji Provia 400x
On a plane
Fuji Provia 400x
Cinema at Karl Marx Allee
Fuji Provia 400x
Silos in Copenhagen
Fuji Reala 400
6 months ago
That’s a question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately. Since I bought my first serious camera with the intention of improving my photography, I’ve been owning several slrs. But why slrs?
I’ve been more and more interested in Rangefinders, after buying the mighty Fuji gw690II, and now I’m concidering selling my 5D setup and therefore replacing my current digital lineup with a Fuji X-pro 1. I’ve been gradually using my slr less and less since I got home from Burma. It’s even gotten to the point where I actually think it’s getting dusty. I’ve been shooting the gw690II non-stop since I got it, because even though it’s still a large camera, it’s so much more intuitive. Less in the way. It’s a camera for people who wants to shoot situations, and that’s really all I want to right now.
Up until a yeah ago, I still thought I was going to do some semi-serious photography in my work. And even though I would still welcome it, it’s not something I crave anymore. I invested in studio lights, varioud softening modifiers, flash syncs and naturally the 5d to hide behind, but it’s not nearly as fun as I tohught it would be. In some way I feel like I’ve been building a setup for someone other than me, and that makes no sense anymore. Maybe I’ve changed, maybe I’ve just realised that I’ve just never been that person. Maybe a bit of both. I still curl my toes when someone ask my advice on buying a camera that has virtually just a shutter button and still produces fantastic images in all situations, but I begin to understand more and more what they are all about. I begin to understand why some people doesn’t have the need for a 10Kg setup that will cover their entire face when shooting. It’s one of those things that appears to be straight forward, but you have to realise it for yourself.
So enough rambling – what I am trying to say is:
I chose an slr because it was big and looked professional and it took good photos. Rookie mistake. But it was a flexible system, and it tought me some valuable lessons in photography, which I am not sure I would have learned with anything smaller. It’s probably possible, but I’m not sure it would have happened in my case – I would have lost interest. But since I never do any photographic work, I don’t need a camera for working photographers, which is what an slr is made for – sports, studio work, etc.
I’ve put my 5d gear for sale, and then I’ll buy a Fuji X-pro system. The camera is as flexible as my slr, the lenses are great, and the sensor is way better. Plus it’s smaller, and I will be able to shoot stuff that matters. Like people. I’ll still keep my lenses, for whenever I’ll want an slr again.
It’s a leap of faith – wish me luck!
Oh, you also have to see this video. It pretty much sums up my current feelings about slrs: