Finally Caught Up

Well, as some of you may have noticed, my 365 project is all caught up (aside from today, of course, which should be in by the end of the night). I feel a small sense of accomplishment at having finally shuffled through the piles of negatives and scanned in the ones that I felt best corresponded to the day they were taken. In some instances I had a single frame for the day (which in one case turned out as nothing more than a black rectangle) and in other instances I had as many as 10 or 12 to choose from. In my eyes, I chose the best.

My photography is taking on a life of its own. I've gone from merely doing it to get by to finally enjoying it and looking at things in a different way. A friend of mine, Tim, helped me to realize my own potential and the actual amount of skill that I truly have. It was his influence that led me to buy my medium format camera. And I haven't looked back. Well, he just moved to Minneapolis, so I wish him all the best of luck and can't wait until I have the chance to go out and visit him and explore his new city. But that's all in the future.

For some reason I've also fallen into a bit of bramble bush when it comes to my Gum Bichromate prints. I've taken quite a long break from them and am feeling half like I want to, and half like I should, return and make some more. I have a few negatives that will fit the process perfectly. Maybe in the next couple weeks if I'm not too busy.

I also have my eye on a bulk roll of film on eBay. It is 70mm wide film (which isn't really used much in photography) and it is at a really great price. The size will be perfect for loading onto some old 616 spools that my father had sitting in a box with an old Kodak 616 camera. The negatives that this camera produces are 2 1/4 x 4 1/4 inches, which are almost twice the size of the negatives that I'm making now. I feel as though the more rectangular shape lends itself more to the gum bichromate print so I'll see how that goes. (As a side note, the size of the negatives isn't really very important because I could easily just shoot 4x5 color negatives to use as a base, but they would be more expensive and the hassle of the sheets rather than rolls aren't really opportune for this).

I have a ton of film sitting down in my refrigerator right now. I have some 35mm color and hand-spooled b&w, color and b&w 120, and b&w, color negative, and slide 4x5. Oh, and there are like 10 boxes of expired Polaroid instant film that I should get to using one of these days. Let's just say I probably shouldn't be looking at film on eBay, and I especially shouldn't be buying a 100 foot roll of more film. But, options are a good thing, and I'd really love to get this old 616 camera back in action with some really great color negative film. But where do I take it to get developed? That's no problem, I'll find some place.

I have been reading a book of letters that Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg sent to each other throughout their extended friendship. It's interesting to say the least. I find myself diving into my own mind, trying to understand the way they address each other, speak about their friends, and mostly the way they think. Both men were literary geniuses, and I have the utmost respect for both of them. I can already feel a jump start reaching my own writing, both from exploring this compilation and from reading another book written on visual thinking. Sometimes I can't wrap my small mind around the great ideas that the authors bring forth, but all I can do is try.

Gab gab gab. Right now I could write all night, alas, I don't have the energy. My mind is darting from Ginsberg to Kerouac to some obscure thoughts on the way the mind tricks the eye into seeing exactly what it does not perceive. Until next time (and I hope it won't be quite so long) I will leave you with some soft words.


Flap your arms
and cackle from your bosom.
Your laughter surrounds the minuscule pieces of my hair,
as my feet shuffle to your heartening tune.