foto-mondo: February 2009

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

polaroid -shot with Bronica S2A- but wait...

this is actually a scan of the backing paper/emulsion side from the Polaroid i shot today. i was trying out my "new" Bronica S2A- it came with a Polaroid back, and there just happened to be one shot left- so i put on the back and asked Jacqueline to be my subject. the actual foto was nice- if a bit discolored because the film was so old- but i noticed the 'image' was also on the paper/emulsion when i peeled the film apart- i decided to scan it, but it was still gooey- AND i hadnt set up my new scanner- by the time i did that the paper had dried somewhat- and this is what i got- after doing some 'equalzing' in Photoshop.

i loaded the bronica with some 120 B&W film and IF it isnt snowing tomorrow, i'll take it out for some test shots. i should shoot some Fasnacht fotos with it.
[c]2009 doug duffey

Monday, February 16, 2009

BRONICA S2A

my ebay camera collecting fever struck again and i am now the happy winner/owner of a Bronica S2A- 2 lenses and a Polaroid [peel apart film] back- and a lot of other goodies- I cannot wait to start shooting once it arrives hopefully today]. i brought a lot of 120 film with me to switzerland- for my plastic Diana camera- but this new camera is going to take priority.
[c]2009 doug duffey

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

SMOKING BLUR 2.10.2009

[c]2009 doug duffey

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

biel, switzerland february 4, 2009

old world, new world, intim world- must be fun living next to the sex shop!

man digging through trash- blur- it was the 2nd time i saw people rummaging through trash; if parking had been possible i would have joined them.

funny looking gift shop with fasnacht [mardi gras] stuff in the window

still life in brocante- the chest was unreal- i'd love to have it, but how would i get it back to louisiana? along with my piano here, etc.

still life in brocante 2- decided to add the mannequin to the mix

[c]2009 doug duffey

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

self portrait in fasnacht mask

self portrait in fasnacht mask- [Polaroid 670AF camera/Polaroid 600 film] -gray scaled in photoshop- switzerland feb 2, 2009- [c]2009 doug duffey

about this blog

i began making photos in my teens. i wasn't really making much more than snapshots [except for a few psychedelic polaroids in the late 60s] until the 90s, when i bought a used Canon AE1 camera from a guy on Bourbon Street [probably 'hot']. that's when i began getting serious about photography. i taught myself everything by doing: how to use the camera; how to develop film; how to make the prints [b&w only]. when i bought 2nd hand darkroom equipment and began printing, it really became a passion.

i collect and use cameras: everything from crap 50-cent fixed focus plastic 35mm ones i find at junk stores to good quality Leica, Rollei, Bronica, Yashica, Nikon-i particularly like old manual cameras that don't use batteries etc. [Voigtlander, Zeiss, etc] i've been collecting rangefinders like crazy-it's gotten ridiculous: i have more cameras than i can use... but keep collecting. i sometimes turn broken cameras into pinhole film cameras.

i really like the effects i get with the crap plastic cameras [i like the element of surprise] using 'color process' b&w film- i usually load several w/different ASA film and take them when i go shooting. they're light, easy to carry, never need batteries, and i don't have to worry about lighting, or f/stops etc. i've also bought a lot of medium format plastic cameras as well [diana, agfa isola, etc] and old 127 ,120, & 620 film-cameras [both good quality and bad] - the fixed focus plastic lens make for dream-like, soft focus shots. i love old photographs and these were the type cameras that made the majority of those!

i've been trying to scan/archive most of my negatives/fotos for years now- but considering i have been making fotos from my teen years until now that is a major on-going work. i have about 4 external hard drives w/ thousands of fotos on them... and thousands of 'actual' physical negatives... and fotos- things i've shot all over the world; however, my favorite subject matter remains the beautiful but tragically disappearing old south, which i hope to capture as much of as possible.

i almost never have prints made. i usually print photographs myself, when i am going to do a series and or a show. i also develop all true b&w film/negatives myself, after having some negatives ruined by so-called professionals, who either used old chemicals or didn't time things right. as said, i collect old cameras and have many different film formats; many of the negatives would have to be sent off; so, doing it myself is faster and much cheaper. i'm not really into digital, because i like film... and i like working in the darkroom. digital cameras take the photos when THEY decide to; a manual camera makes the foto when YOU press the button. i've also seen digital fotos just 'disappear'- due to computer crashes- or media cards- so i prefer film. i have my grandmother's and mother's negatives from waaaaaaaaaaaaay back... which i can still print from... who knows that whatever digital medium we're using these days will even be functional in 5 years? give me film any time!

for a long time i have been using Ilford xp-2 - and Kodak BW400 [both are color processed b&w you can have processed anywhere] and scan the negatives into my computer. but , now to make things even easier, i just have whoever develops the negatives scan them to cd. of course i only print b&w- so for true B&W i print myself. if i photoshop anything it has to be a digital print; especially anything in color.

i've had exhibits in louisiana and europe, but due to the fact that music is my top priority business, i haven't been doing any printing lately. i just keep shooting more and more film and keep acquiring more and more negatives, polaroids, and cds of the work... [and collecting more cameras] at least i can post some of the digitized shots/scans here!

check out the IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT to save and continue Polaroid film