I promised myself that I would shoot all of my personal photos on film this summer and I kept to that promise.  The Hasselblad is certainly a challenge and so different from shooting 35 mm, film or digital.  The process really made me slow down and approach photography much differently.  It’s always good to push yourself and do something completely out of your comfort zone.   I think the 35 mm format is much better suited to the way I shoot, but I do love the results I’ve gotten from the Hassy.

And since I’ve gotten some requests, I’m making some of my Hasselblad prints available for purchase.  I’ve also included some favorites from my time in Memphis and Mississippi and will be adding more to this gallery as time goes on.

shot on the Hasselblad 500cm, 80 2.8 Zeiss, Fuji 400H, scanned by fairies and unicorns

FILM.  Of course I’ve shot film before, but never deliberately.  Never with any purpose or intention and certainly not since becoming a professional photographer.  Here’s the confession part.  It’s always made me feel like less.  Less of a photographer.  Less of an artist.  And as odd as this sounds, like a coward.  I was scared, no terrified.  I didn’t want to fail.  The fear of failure paralyzed me from trying for so long.  But I had this longing to shoot with a Hasselblad 500cm.  That 6×6 format has always fascinated me.   So there I was too scared to buy this camera that I’ve wanted for so long.  I’d obsessively stalk photographers that shot with it, longing to be one of them, but too scared of failure to do anything about it, yet at the same time feeling like less of a photographer because I didn’t know how to shoot film.   It sounds pretty dumb writing it all out, but there you have it.

So when I saw Jon announce on Twitter that he was hosting a one day FIND workshop (Film is Not Dead) in Memphis, I sucked it up, got over myself and signed up and promptly went on KEH and bought the camera I’ve been lusting after.  And then the camera showed up and all that fear came rushing back.   I didn’t know how to put it together, much less load any film into it.  No way was I going to Memphis without at least being able to do that.  So I called in a friend to help, watched some videos on YouTube and figured out enough to at least shoot a couple of rolls.

So now that I’ve embarrassed myself enough, let me know tell you about the workshop.  After getting picked up at the airport by the fabulous Brittany Esther Staddon, we met up the night before the workshop huddling inside a sketchy motel room (the best kind) listening to the sweet sound of a never ending tornado warning.  You should know that the very first that happens at FIND is getting a giant hug from Jon  We did eventually brave the weather to chow down on some famous Memphis BBQ (yum).  It was so fun to sit at Rendezvous hanging out with such a rad group of people.  That’s definitely one thing you should know about FIND.  It really does attract the coolest people.  I miss you guys

In the morning we started the workshop at a cozy little Memphis spot, Cafe Eclectic (great coffee!).  Being so new to film, I was so grateful to Jon for being so open and willing to discuss any subject, no matter how mundane, and answer any question, no matter how basic.  Some specific things I learned:  1. how to shoot specific film stocks and what their best uses are in weddings and portraiture; 2. how to use an external light meter; 3. all about different types of cameras and how they can be used at weddings; 4. posing, especially family formals; and 5. the importance of shooting personal work.  We’re all so busy with client work that I think it’s easy to forget to shoot for no other reason than the discovery of self.  But it is so incredibly important to your growth as an artist.  Jon really drove that home.

After the morning presentation we headed into downtown Memphis to shoot two difference couples.  Two things quickly became clear.  Jon is a walking light meter, a Yoda of light, if you will.  And he’s a genius at posing.  The way he worked with each of the couples was such an inspiration.  He was so easy and charming and natural.  It was impossible for them to not respond to it.  I’ve always said that excellent portraiture is a like a dance between photographer and subject.  If that’s true, than Jon is a world class dancer.  I learned so much watching him interact with not only the two couple, but also all of the students at the workshop.  He is truly an excellent teacher and my only regret is that I chose to attend only the one day version of the workshop, instead of his normal three day.  I can’t regret it too much though, because the people I met and the friends I made are so awesome.  I also would be remiss if I didn’t mention Jon’s FIND Guide.  It is a really excellent resource if you’re getting into shooting film and will save you countless of hours of research online.

Thank you Jon for being you and thank you to all of my fellow FINDers.  Memphis was an experience I’ll always carry with me and I hope to see you all in Vegas next year!

For clients that may be curious, I will still be shooting primarily digital at weddings, but will start shooting some of the portraits on film in addition to the digital shots.  Let me know what you think!

Tookie came along to a photographer fundraiser I participated in and a couple of the other photogs took some cool shots of him being his silly, unbelievably adorable self.  Here’s a few of my favorites that my friend Kelley of Marie Kelley Photography took.

Oh and psst, I am getting over my fear of looking huge and fat and having maternity photos taken this weekend!  So the belly will be making a blog appearance.

Watching the aftermath of the earthquake on the news was so difficult and I couldn’t help but think of the Haitians that we met during that small glimpse we got.  Were they ok?  Did they know where their family were?  I felt so helpless watching the coverage on TV.  I really wanted to help in some meaningful way. Well, I am incredibly blessed to be a member of a local photography group called SoFly.  It’s a small group of hugely talented women that are photographers in South Florida.  We meet once a month to shoot and chat about life and business.   Our last meetup was right after the earthquake in Haiti so we decided to organize a fundraiser for Haiti Earthquake Relief.  We will be shooting mini sessions this Saturday, January 30 in downtown Hollywood and all proceeds will go to a local charity called Sow A Seed that is doing relief work in Haiti.  If you are in the South Florida area, please come out!  You’ll get amazing photos and help Haiti at the same time.  It’s truly a win-win.  Details below!