self sufficiency in scanning

back when i was at byu and had free access to an imacon scanner for my 4x5 film i didn't know how good i had it. i didn't really have a plan for scanning my film once i left school - i guess i just figured i would cross that bridge when i got there.

well, that bridge has been harder to cross than i ever imagined. in new york i had to rent time on a scanner in manhattan. not too bad but still somewhat expensive. now that we're in indiana, there aren't really any viable options (that i have found) for getting my film scanned...

until now.

thanks to epson (as i've mentioned in a previous post) that bridge has just been shortened significantly.

i've gone and made the leap, purchasing the epson v700.

this beauty is a fraction of the cost of the imacon yet is almost equal to it (from what i've read) in quality.

i've got a handful of slides to scan and, if the u.p.s. man comes through, i should have the scanner in my home tonight. i will be, in a way, fully self-sufficient - photographically speaking.

that calls for a celebration!

abstract glow bracelet art

recently i made a couple of purchases - a new camera, and some glow bracelets.

first the camera. after researching point-and-shoots, mega-zooms, and d-slrs we picked up a panasonic lumix fz35 because of some of the features it has. mostly i wanted to have manual controls, image stabilization, hd video, and long(er) exposure times. so this one was the winner.



second the glow bracelets. i saw them at michael's - 15 for a dollar. there's no passing that up - i'm still very much mesmerized by the neon glow of glow sticks/necklaces/bracelets.

when my two recent purchases - and my boys - joined forces one night in the backyard, this was the result...



and this...



and this...



the exposures were somewhere around 8 seconds and i kept the camera moving to keep the background (neighbor's house, fence, etc.) from registering on the picture.

let's hear it for free flowing creative expression! woohoo!

snapshot sunday!

i hope that even with all of my film-promoting, analog-loving, big camera-praising posts you don't think i'm an anti-digital photo-luddite. i would, in fact, love to get my hands on a nice dslr some day. the problem is that whenever i have some surplus cash in the photo budget it usually goes into buying film, chemicals, or - if i'm feeling ambitious - a new lens for my large format camera. seeing as how my current circumstances leave me without a digital slr, i rely on our digital point and shoot to get shots when i happen to have left my 30+ pounds of photo gear at home. here are a few shots that i've been able to snag with our dear little cyber-shot.

a king crab at the oregon coast aquarium in newport, oregon. dim light, show shutter, thanks for holding still mr. crab!


sam the giant!


sam and the seal.


navy pier, chicago.


flatiron building, nyc.


getting chased through the fall leaves in our yard.


chicago and the chicago river.