A Most Unusual Camera (w/Jess Hobbs and Chandler Flanagan)
Thursday, May 11, 2023 • Duration 01:50:10
Okay, first off, this is *not* a new episode of All Through a Lens. This is also not a new venture. It was record before we knew the podcast was ending.
This is the first of what was to be some fill-in episodes. We'd then take our normal summer break and then come back with Vania in August.
I know it's not the same, but I hope you give it a listen. I personally think it's a good episode with some good information and some fun along the way.
Quick show notes:
For today’s show, Eric will be talking about Artificial Intelligence and how it’s both worse and not as bad as it seems. And Jess has got some bad news and good news about Kodak Chemicals. We’ll also be watching “A Most Unusual Camera” - the Twilight Zone episode that asks the question ‘what if a camera wanted you dead?’
We also interview Chandler Flanagan, a film photographer and cyanotype artist (cyanotypist?) who has published a zine with Better Off Press. Most recently, she started Not Your Grandma’s Camera Club, and we’re going to talk to her all about that.
Hello everybody. This is Eric. And I have some pretty bad news for you considering the podcast. As of now the podcast is ending.
We are both utterly gutted and heartbroken over this decision. We both loved the podcast so very much. And we love the friends and listeners more than they will probably know.
I know for some of you it's just another podcast you listen to. And I get that, I listen to a lot of podcasts myself. But for us it was a colossal part of our lives, and it's absence will leave a gigantic hole.
On the technical end of things, patreon has been paused and will shut down in about a month. I will try to keep it going through June, and you will not be charged for June. If there are any discrepancies here or there about any of the payments, contact me and we'll try to work it out. Patreon is very vague about how all of this works. That's very fitting for patreon
The main feed will be up indefinitely. The money that we have received from patreon in large part will be going towards keeping it alive for as long as the money is there. It costs, as of now, about $120 a year.
I feel the work that we produced was important and meaningful and unique among other photography podcasts. We both want it to be available for as long as possible. We have learned about so many photographers and eras, and did our best to make a show that was as informative as it was entertaining. We hope that you enjoyed it and maybe learned a little something along the way.
For both of us, we thank you so much for your support and your love and your friendship over the years. We truly could not have done this without you.
We love you. Bye bye.
[This writing has been approved by both of us.]
Our First Truly Odd Episode (Also, Godland) - Episode 77
On this episode of All Through a Lens we’re experimenting with a slightly new format – the Odd Episode! These are the episodes that somehow fall between our regular episodes and the Dev Party episodes.
Vania and Santa Cruz
First up is Vania who talks about her project in Santa Cruz. She’s filming on Super 8 in the damn water and shooting 120 there too. It’s for an upcoming film that she’ll tell you all about!
We then talk about the new film Godland, directed by Hlynur Palmason. In the 1890s, Lucas, a photographer and priest with the Danish Church, is tasked with establishing a church in Iceland. Rather than taking a boat directly to his destination, he wants to travel across the island on horseback to photograph the people and the land.
It’s a slow, beautiful movie, and the bits about photography are perfectly intertwined in the film and the story. As of this recording, it is only playing in theaters.
Here are some of the random stills that we’ve gathered.
Zine Reviews
We’ve moved the zine reviews to the odd episodes!
110 By Garon Kiesel – contact him here: @grain_or_die on IG.
Monochrome Mania #9 by Mark O’Brien – Buy it here!
PATREON
Thank you to everyone who supports us!
Check out our Patreon for bonus episodes, extended interviews, early drops. Tons of stuff!
THE CREDITS OF ENDING
Dev Party #37 - Reversing Reversal
Episode 80
Tuesday, May 4, 2021 • Duration 37:21
Oh have we got a chaotic treat for you! We’re making black & white slides using regular black & white negative film! How? Why? We’ll tell you!
Meanwhile, Eric attempted a method touted on blogs and YouTube, which uses HC-110, hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar. His results were not as lovely as Vania’s:
In both cases, the “negatives” were positives, but Eric is still trying to figure out what went wrong.
Episode 41: Mugshots and Memorials - Charlie from Themselves Press
Episode 79
Tuesday, April 27, 2021 • Duration 01:21:24
On today’s show we’re talking to Charlie from Themselves Press, we’ll be telling you all about the weird history of police mug shots, there’s a couple of book reviews and a bit of a listener memorial to Aloy Anderson.
Last episode we interviewed Denise Grays (@deniseg316), who had just published a zine through Themselves Press. That zine distro and press is run by charlie chux camuglia (@casualscience) of Themselves Press (@themselvespress). Since they’re into film photography, zines, art and cats, it just seems natural that we’d give them a call.
It would be tempting to say that before the invention of photography, there was some sort of rudimentary form of mugshots. We might even want to claim that Wanted Posters from the Wild West and runaway slave notices were proto-mugshots.
But they weren’t. Both existed before photography. Wanted posters eventually used photography, while runaway slave notices never used it at all (enslaved people were generally not photographed).
ALOY ANDERSON
REVIEW: BLACK & WHITE & WEIRD ALL OVER
ZINE REVIEWS
PATREON: THANKS!
THE CREDITS OF ENDING
Dev Party #36 - Cyanotype Field Trip
Episode 78
Tuesday, April 20, 2021 • Duration 51:10
On a very special edition of Dev Party, we are on location! We walk you through our steps of sensitizing watercolor paper with cyanotype emulsion. We then expose them in some very inconvenient ways.
Eric does his on a hike, while Vania relaxes at home.
And then comes the washing.
Here are Eric’s hike photos:
And here are some of his results:
Vania did some as well! Here are some of her making them:
Episode 40: Deep Dark Blue - Cyanotypes and Denise Grays
Episode 77
Tuesday, April 13, 2021 • Duration 01:13:43
We’ve got a case of the mean blues! – it’s Cyanotypes this episode! What are they, where’d they come from and how can You, the listener at home, do them? We also talk to Denise Grays (@deniseg316) about Kansas and her new zine, A Love Letter to Kansas. Tiffen Sinclair (@tiffen.sinclair) drops by with some news about disposable cameras. There’s also the answering machine and zine reviews.
DENISE GRAYS: A LOVE LETTER TO KANSAS
Denise Grays has been photographing Kansas for more than a decade. Her recent zine, a Love Letter to Kansas, released by Themselves Press, sold out quickly. Since we both adore Kansas more than life itself, we thought it was a great time to have Denise on and talk to her all about it.
Cyanotype is a printing process that produces a deep blue negative print. Generally, a piece of paper is coated with an emulsion made up of potassium ferricyanide and ferric ammonium citrate. Once dry, an opaque object is placed on top of the paper and exposed to light. After exposure and washing, the unexposed emulsion is washed away, leaving an impression of whatever object was placed on the paper. The exposed emulsion turns a deep Prussian Blue.
We talk about John Herschel, who invented/discovered cyanotypes. So here are a few of his kinda crappy prints:
We also talk a lot about Anna Atkins, who printed Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions in 1843. Here are a few of her cyanotypes:
And some by her friend and “almost sister,” Anne Dixon:
ZINE REVIEWS: ALL TRAVIS, ALL THE TIME
PATREON: THANKS!
THE CREDITS OF ENDING
Dev Party #35 - Why Is Ortho?
Episode 76
Tuesday, April 6, 2021 • Duration 35:00
Let’s take a deep dive into Orthochromatic film! What is it? Why is it? Do you want to shoot it? Are you sure? And most importantly, how do you dev it?
We really dig into the history of it and which bits of Roy G Biv it picks up. Also, how it compares to emulsions that came before it. Isn’t this exciting?
Eric shot Ilford Ortho Plus, devving it in Rodinal 1+50 for 15mins. Here are some pics:
Vania shot some Fuji HR-U X-ray film, which is orthochromatic, picking up both blues and greens (many x-ray emulsions pick up only blue). She devved it in Rodinal 1+100 for 4mins. Here are some of hers:
If you were curious how blue sensitive-only emulsion compares to blue-green sensitive, here’s a color chart:
Here are some other comparisons:
Vania also mentioned shooting ortho with a red filter in Yellowstone. Here’s that…
Episode 39: Of Mindfulness and Impostor Syndrome -- Roxannalog!
Episode 75
Tuesday, March 30, 2021 • Duration 01:26:41
Tonight, on a very special All Through a Lens…
we’re going to be talking about quite a bit more than just film photography. We’ll welcome Roxanna Angles and discuss Mindfulness through Photography. Both Vania and I will be digging into Impostor Syndrome and how to get out of that weird little spiral. There’s a bit on journaling, there’s the answering machine question, some zine reviews, and all the banter you’ve grown to love….
ROXANNALOG!
You might know Roxanna Angles La Belle as @Roxannalog from the Negative Positives podcast. But she’s also an author who wrote the book An Introduction to Mindfulness Through Photography. We gave her a call to talk to her all about it.
For our main feature, we enter into a discussion about Impostor Syndrome.
Impostor Syndrome is the feeling of doubt in your own talent, in your own abilities, despite evidence to the contrary. For some, it can be a nagging feeling of insecurity, but for others it can turn into an almost paranoid certainty that someone will expose them as a fraud.
Ironically, this often strikes after something good. Rather than believing that these accomplishments came from our own skills and expertise, we end up thinking it was luck or random chance that led to our success.
In many of the papers and articles we’ve read, the focus is on CEOs, celebrities, and the incredibly wealthy. It’s almost as if to say “see, they’re just like us – even the incredibly powerful can have doubts!”
But let’s set that aside. We’re not CEOs, we’re not famous, and we’re just scraping by. We’re not professional photographers. We’re taking photos, doing zines, and talking about photography. In fact, for many of us, film photography is our art.
ZINE REVIEWS
PATREON
END CREDITS
Dev Party #34 - Dev Fiesta!
Episode 74
Tuesday, March 23, 2021 • Duration 35:16
This is a very Vania episode! She’s just returned from a surfing and shooting trip to Mexico and she tells us all about shooting with the Pentax 645N and its unwieldy waterhousing.
Vania developed some old ass 220 FujiChrome (RAP), expired in the early 90s. Here are her photos:
And Eric devved some Fuji NP-2 800, expired in 2003. He devved in his DIY ECN-2 kit.
In truth, mugshots grew out of the portrait industry. Both were, essentially, identical: front-facing, no expression, and photographed from the shoulders up. The stereotypical side-facing mugshot came later, and we’ll get to that.
We delve into Rogues’ Galleries, Alexander Gardner, Thomas Byrnes, Cesara Lombroso, Francis Galton, Alphonse Bertillon – the usual suspects.
Vania and Eric also talked about their favorite celebrity mug shots:
Review of Black & White & Weird All Over by Jon “Bermuda” Schawartz.
“Bermuda” Swartz has been Weird Al Yankovic’s drummer since they met on the Dr. Demento Show in September 1980. And while he’s known mostly for that, he was also a photographer. He picked up a Minolta SRT-101 in the early 70s, and was rolling his own rolls and printing in a home darkroom not long after. He quickly discovered that he simply documented everything.
When it became more economical to shoot color, he switched over. But in 1983, as Weird Al was shooting the video for “Ricky” (a Desi & Lucy-based parody of Toni Basil’s “Hey Mickey”), he thought that black & white might just be the better choice to capture the shoot. He was not wrong.
The book, a 200 page hardback, is made up of a couple hundred photos from 1983 to 1986, covering Al’s first album through his fourth, Polka Party.
It’s 60 pages of black and white city street graininess. Apart from some contact information, there are no words. The photos are printed full-bleed, extending to the very edges of the page. This gives it a really enveloping feel. He crops and moves his photos around to get the perfect composition. I’m always a little too afraid to do that. I’m an in-camera composer, and I desperately don’t want to be. And yet…
It’s inspiring. I’m seriously mulling over ripping off his style. You should too. Or at least pick up his zine.
However, even an artist isn’t immune to this. Articles about “Artists at the top of their game” abound. In those cases, they’re speaking to professional artists. Their stories, at least to me, aren’t relatable or inspiring. We are not professional photographers, but for some reason, we still sometimes feel that we’re faking it.
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