After taking a year off to regroup the chat is back and we are kicking it off with the awesome Lauren aka @coolperolike on the instagram. She is a rad photographer and human in the Bay Area, but I will let her speak for her self :)

"hi i’m lo! i don’t know how to talk about myself so i guess i’ll start with i’m a photographer and i shoot everything from instant photos to large format to super 8! i love learning about new mods my friends make, learning about the people i take portraits of, and learning what i enjoy the most during the process. meeting and growing with the community of people i’ve met has been my favorite part of photography so far. everyone has a different journey and a different story to tell. i can’t wait to expand on this beautiful community in the bay area and beyond!"

Matthew s a wicked awesome cat, so much fun to chat it out with him. He shared how he got started with film photography and his connection to skateboarding with it. We talked about punk music and going to live shows. He shared how he get involved with Filmphotographic and his involvement with Our City which was a cool exhibition. Then we finished off with being old but still rocking skate style haha. Matt was wicked rad. Looking forward to seeing him at PolaCon Bay Area in 2023.

“A little about me, I’ve been photographing in general since I was 15 started with skateboarding because I wasn’t a strong skater but they gang needed a filmer and photog so I got into it. Live in a small northern ca town called Rio Vista which is on the CA delta. I got back into primarily shooting film in 2015-16 when I joined Instagram and found out a lot of people still shot it and found some great communities. I’ve been lucky to be apart of 3 filmphotographic group shows. As of recent I was BetterOff Zine’s feature no. 6 photographer and currently enjoy going to different areas of CA when I can and documenting what I see.”

Follow Matthew at https://www.instagram.com/mattoriousfilmphoto/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

It was a lot of fun to have @ianazariah in the studio today. He told us about his journey into photography and his adventures into tin type. Shared with us his stories about photography from his childhood and how it has influenced him and about his analog photo booths that he has peppered around Vancouver. Really looking forward to chatting more with him in the future and checking out his Tin Type work in person and his photo booths.

“A simple man with a passion for making bold images, riding things with two wheels, and building treehouses.”

Follow Ian at https://www.instagram.com/ianazariah/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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Matt is a film photo fanatic, third-generation kodaker, and large format shooter. Matt has been seriously shooting since 2002 on both digital and film. However, for his personal work, he tends to lean towards a film. He turned his passion for film towards resurrecting the @kodakcameraclub_roc within the hallowed halls of @kodak to help ignite the passion for film in others across the land. I had the pleasure of meeting Matt during a tour of the Kodak factory in Rochester last year. It was an incredible experience to see where the film I love so much is created.

Follow Matt at https://www.instagram.com/stoffelmatt/

Check out the Kodak Camera Club at https://www.instagram.com/kodakcameraclub_roc/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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JP is a fantastic film shooter and expert shit poster residing in the Bay Area. When he’s not rocking out in his moms AMG antagonizing the magats you can find him taking fine portraits and dumping spicy memes. He has mastered portraits during COVID on medium and large format film.

Follow JP at https://www.instagram.com/jp.wtf/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

Jessica is a marketing maven by day, restless insomniac in search of the perfect light in her free time. Most often you can find her tearing up the canyons above Los Angeles, windows down and the music cranked up. She was first bitten by the photography bug in the form of a fisher price 110 camera and has not looked back since. When Polaroid became an endangered species in 2008, she went all in. She primarily shoots with an SX70 and a 360 Land Camera.

Follow Jessica at https://www.instagram.com/jetsetter23/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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Well we spent some time out East so now we’re headed back west to visit with our polapal Jana who is a film shooter from the anarchist jurisdiction of Seattle. She’s generally seen with an instant camera but is also known to cavort with pinhole and 35mm cameras. If you know her whereabouts please send her all of the laundromat photos you have in your possession.

Follow Jana at https://www.instagram.com/jana_obscura/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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Peter is a large format wizard from Massachusetts who is now the caretaker of the infamous 'Jason Lee Lincoln large format land yacht'. Tune in to be regaled of his adventures piloting this mythical beast from California back to Massachusetts during a pandemic and his anecdotes around shooting large format on the road.

Follow Peter at https://www.instagram.com/pgumaskas/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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Dave is an amazing person and brilliant photographer based in NorCal. They've taken some of my all-time favorite photos. I met Dave during Polacon 4 and we became fast friends. In this episode, we discuss large format and instant photography.

Follow Dave at https://www.instagram.com/cinedar/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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I met Eric at an event in Tulsa Oklahoma in 2019 and discovered he is really good people. He captures life on film in a really beautiful way and he is one of the curators over at Film Photographic. We talk about life and photography and are visited by his dog Weezel.

Follow Eric at https://www.instagram.com/ericeffinb/

Also Weezel https://www.instagram.com/weezelthedog/

Check out Film Photographic https://www.instagram.com/filmphotographic/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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I met Barb in Boston at a photography workshop being held by Leica. We were the only two Canadians there so naturally, we became pals. Barb talks about her adventures abroad and about pinhole and large format photography.

Follow Barb at https://www.instagram.com/thereimereason/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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Joining me in this episode is another good Polapal David Hunter. Things get emotional as we talk about life and Polaroids.

Follow David at https://www.instagram.com/davidhunter3404/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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This is an extra special episode. We have @tsuphotoworks aka tony joining us all the way from France!! We’re going global. Tony is a British-Nigerian filmmaker and photographer, third culture kid, and lover of crafts and analog processes. Based in Brittany France, his photography focuses on portraits and documentary work primarily as an art photographer, but also for commissioned work.

Follow Tony at https://www.instagram.com/tsuphotoworks/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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@studio.c41 was a real treat to have on the chat. It was super rad to hear his story of how he got started and his adventures with his podcast. We talked about the magic of the Kodak factory and then we got into the state of the film world. He educated me on Fuji Film and showed me how to show them a little bit more love. Talked about the film community and getting started with film and what those adventures are like. Then she shared with us the work he is doing in the Atlanta film community offering different options for film and processing. If you’re not following Bill you should give him a follow and keep up with the great work he is doing.

"Bill Manning, is an Atlanta-based photographer and host of the Studio C-41: 1-Hour Photo Podcast interviewing contemporary photographers and manufacturers in the film photography industry. Currently, as a result of the drastic price increases in the photography industry, Bill recently has launched a company called Atlanta Film Co. which works with Kodak Motion Picture and Dunwoody Photo to provide an affordable solution to processing and scanning color negative motion picture film for stills using the ECN-2 process. The same process that major Hollywood production use for their multi-million dollar features."

Follow Bill at https://www.instagram.com/studio.c41/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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Hailing from Denton Texas we've got Armand, the proprietor of the Denton Camera Exchange and one of the founders of the Instant Film Society. I'm proud to call Armand a good homie. In this episode, we talk about large format instant film and other goodies.

Follow Armand at https://www.instagram.com/rmandkohandani/

Follow the store at https://www.instagram.com/dentoncameraexchange/

Check out the Instant Film Society https://www.instagram.com/instantfilmsociety/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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Brandy is one of my good homies from the Polacon world. I met her at Polacon 3 in Denton Texas and she's become a great pal. Join us as we talk about Instant Film and enjoy tasty beverages.

Follow Brandy at https://www.instagram.com/film_diary_of_a_redhead/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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My guest is the infamous Brian Brooks from San Francisco. He is a creator of fine polaroid images and part of a team of passionate film enthusiasts at Underdog Film Lab in Oakland California. I met Brian through the Instant Film Society as we share a mutual love for all things Polaroid.

Follow Brian on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/brian_brooks/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

The very first episode of Photography Chat which came about from messing around with Instagram Live and discovering people enjoyed watching me talk with my photographer pals. In this episode, we discuss some photography related things and Nick Cage.

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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Wanted to say a quick hello to everyone and introduce the chat. Thanks for joining me on this adventure. I hope y'all have a fun time hanging out with me and my guests.

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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@reit_angle was so much fun to have on the chat. We got into some really deep interesting talks about social issues, and community. She told us about how she got started in photography and her love of Polaroid. We had a really great conversation about the way our world is and how we would like to see it improve. I am glad that people like Casey exist in the world, it gives some hope. I really look forward to meeting her in person at an event sometime in the future.

“Casey is a Polaroid and analog film photographer based in Chicago. Her work centers on nature, city curiosities, and solitary spaces. For Casey, photography is a means of exploring vulnerability, memory, and mindfulness. She also enjoys capturing the raw passion of live music performances on film. Casey has been working with Polaroid film since 2019.”

Follow Casey at https://www.instagram.com/reit_angle/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

Brisa is a real gem and it was so nice to chat it out with her for a while. We talked about her life as a veterinarian and got into why cats are better than dogs :p She shared with us how she ended up in San Francisco and how she got into photography. We chatted about all of the rad photography and instant film communities in the Bay Area, so much activity there and so many great photographers. Got into her adventures with cyanotype on fabric which was really cool to hear and then shared our mutual love of Polaroid before wrapping up.

“Brisa Aceves is a San Francisco based analog film enthusiast. Shooting 35mm, med format, instant films and later experimenting with UV reactive dyes contact printing her own images onto fabrics and clothing. She fell in love with film as a teenager, learning traditional black and white darkroom printing in high school and color darkroom printing during a scholarship at CSSA’s summer program at Cal Arts. She has been a darkroom assistant for the photography teachers with The Youth Art Exchange (2017-2019) which provided a full circle moment being able to help teens learn traditional dark room printing. Is a member at the Harvey milk photo center a community darkroom in SF, and a longtime attendee of the monthly SF Instant photo walk.

Though her career has been focused on animals as a full-time veterinary nurse and RVT ( hence If you’ve ever seen her at a meet up in scrubs) she’s kept taking photographs and making photo related art as a favorite past time throughout her life.”

Follow Brisa at https://www.instagram.com/vyletfemme/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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I enjoyed getting to know @nickcollingwoodvintage more this evening. He talked about how he got started in school doing animation and through some adventures with Polaroid and 35mm he found his way into photography. Talked with us about his experiences falling down the rabbit hole of the film community in NYC and what that experience has been like getting to know different people and places like @brooklynfilmcamera and @the.instantgram and many others. We spent some time talking about social media platforms and the communities on them and also about some of his adventures with his cameras during Fashion Week in NYC. If you’re ever in NYC Nick has put out an open invitation to hit him up and do photo stuff :)

"Nick is a non-stop film enthusiast making a living doing motion design/animation in Brooklyn, NY. He shoots almost any format he can get his hands on but particularly is in love with expired packfilm, large format and Super 8. He's been at it more than a decade now but has fallen much deeper down the rabbit hole in the last 4-5 years after connecting to the film community in NYC and online.

As a huge people-person, he is drawn to portraits as a subject and plays with high-fashion and fine art styles of imagery. He’s also dragged film cameras everywhere including Everest Base Camp and shoots some weddings on Super 8/Polaroids. Catch him teaching workshops, biking around the streets of NYC or in the park, taking large format portraits of strangers"

Follow Nick at https://www.instagram.com/nickcollingwoodvintage/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

@czuckermann is an interesting cat, I always appreciate sharing some time with him, and boy did we ever go on some tangents tonight. We talked about cults, grace, joy, and the human experience. Some chats around childhood trauma and some personal stories from both of us. @zennawong joined us and he talked about how they started @zuckermannwong and some of their experiences. It was so rad to have Charles and Zenna in the studio and on the chat for the 100th episode, looking forward to what the future holds for the chat.

"Zuckermann & Wong are editorial, portrait and commercial lifestyle photographers who do creative shit on the side.

Charles is a 55 year old ex-Montrealer trying to find his way in the photographic world. Strongly based in the entertainment industry, he’s always looking for creative ways to work with different photography mediums. He’d also like to make some money along the way.

Zenna is a 25 going on 75 year old Vancouverite, just trying to figure out what the fuck she wants to do. Give her some time, she’ll figure it out.

Jointly, they are focused on creative lifestyle photography for various brands around Vancouver. Separately Zenna is presently addicted to instax, and Charles is obsessed with art installations."

Follow Charles at https://www.instagram.com/czuckermann/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

Rona brain be damned we had a fun episode tonight chatting it out with @travis_cannady the creator of @betteroffzine and all-around film wizard. He shared how he got started with film and his experiences being a living dip dunk machine processing films for lots of folks in Northern California. We got into aspects of social media, what's been going on with Instagram, and some thoughts around the up-and-coming Grainery app. He also got into his zine making, some of the projects and challenges he has had in the wild world of zines. He has a few projects coming out so make sure to check out the links in his bio to stay abreast of things.

“Travis Cannady is a photographer born and raised in Sacramento, California. He studied Fine Arts at American River College from 2012 - 2017. This is where he found his love and appreciation for film photography while working in the darkroom. While not limiting himself to any one genre of photography, the current focus of his work is on documenting the mundane of everyday life. Other than photography, Travis has found a passion for zines. That includes collecting them from other photographers and making zines of his own work. Also at the beginning of 2021, Travis wanted to share this passion for zine making by starting a new film photography publication in a printed format called Better Off Zine. These zines feature work from a different photographer in each issue with the goal of giving an opportunity for photographers in this ever-growing film community to share their work and to make it accessible to as many people as possible.”

Follow Travis at https://www.instagram.com/travis_cannady/

Check out Better of Zine https://www.instagram.com/betteroffzine/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

Chatting it out with @jamieswick was a lot of fun. She shared with us her immense love, of Polaroid, the medium, the cameras, and the community. Jamie is a fellow die hard believer of the Polaroid medium. She shared with us some of her aging tricks to get certain results from Polaroid film. She shared with us about some of her upcoming projects, one of them being a book. So give her a follow and stay tuned to her feed if you want to see where that goes. Thank you for hanging out this evening.

“PNW PHOTOGRAPHER Jamie Swick spent a childhood oscillating between the mountains and rocky coastlines of New England. These places show themselves throughout her work as foundational footprints, foreshadowing her deep-rooted interest in the ethereal and quiet.

Captivated by cold places, isolation, decay, memory, and the environment, her work explores solitude and stillness, a slowing down and extraction from America’s demanding modernity. Working with Polaroid film for over a decade, she has mastered the beautiful imperfection of this medium with her atmospheric images. Evidence of contemplative practice, poetry, and curiosity lingers toward the edges of her work while inviting the viewer to step into the scene and breathe a while. She works with SX-70 and SLR680 cameras.”

Follow Jamie at https://www.instagram.com/jamieswick/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

Talking with @thepolaroidjay made me really miss the Bay Area. Such a rad dude that is part of so many great film communities in the Bay Area. He shared with us how he got into Polaroids and some of his more memorable moments. We talked about Polacon and the radness involved with that community and he shared his love of Pizza with us. Quality time with a quality human this evening, hope y’all had as great of a time as we did.

"Polaroid Jay is a first-generation Filipino-American living in the Bay Area, California. He's been shooting Polaroids for about 10 years. Most of his work is portraits and documenting music scenes, art scenes, as well as different communities around the Bay Area, from car culture to corgis to Cosplayers."

Follow Jay at https://www.instagram.com/thepolaroidjay/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

It was pretty hilarious hanging out with @zennawong in the studio. Her better half @czuckermann of @zuckermannwong wasn’t able to make it today so we will have to do a follow-up episode with him later. Thanks to a couple of @topochicohardseltzerca things got a little weird today. We did talk about some photography stuff but also cartoons, how to pronounce words, and other random things. We had a great time and we hope you did too hanging out with us for the live or listening in on the recording.

"Zuckermann & Wong are editorial, portrait and commercial lifestyle photographers who do creative shit on the side.

Charles is a 55 year old ex-Montrealer trying to find his way in the photographic world. Strongly based in the entertainment industry, he’s always looking for creative ways to work with different photography mediums. He’d also like to make some money along the way.

Zenna is a 25 going on 75 year old Vancouverite, just trying to figure out what the fuck she wants to do. Give her some time, she’ll figure it out.

Jointly, they are focused on creative lifestyle photography for various brands around Vancouver. Separately Zenna is presently addicted to instax, and Charles is obsessed with art installations."

Follow Zenna at https://www.instagram.com/zennawong/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

I am so glad to have finally connected with @irisxsagitta she is so rad to chat with. She shared with us how she got started with photography. Then we got into social media and the relationships that we have with different platforms. From there we got into the intention of shooting, the importance of the tangible, and creating images just for yourself. We got into film stocks and then Polaroid. Such a rad time hanging out with Iris, I hope y’all enjoy this chat!

'Iris Sagitta is a Hungarian-American queer photographer and model based in Manhattan specializing in self-portraiture and film photography. She strives to depict intimacy and beauty in and out of the studio through layered compositions and cinematic colors. Sagitta constantly experiments with new formats of film and post-processing techniques to evoke nostalgia in every audience.'

Follow Iris at https://www.instagram.com/irisxsagitta/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

It might be time to check out the mid-west again. Hanging with @ryan_akerberg this evening was a lot of fun. We talked about what got him started, turned out we have a common thread in our photographic inspirations. We got into some pretty deep stuff, it was nice getting to know Ryan more and hear about how he see’s the world. Hopefully this fall we will be able to catch up at PolaCon in Denton. Thanks Ryan for being good people in this crazy world.

“A little about me

I was born in Iowa before escaping to the west for about 22 years. Recently I found myself back in the midwest. Even though the places in my life have changed over time, the way I see these places remain constant. I am lucky in the fact that I get to look back on those different places and that consistent way of seeing through my love of photography.

I shoot with film.”

Follow Ryan at https://www.instagram.com/ryan_akerberg/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

It was nice to finally chat with @minwoo.films we’ve been trying to get together since I moved down to the lower mainland in 2021. He’s freshly graduated and getting to work on his career in the film industry but he is still making time for film photography. We talked about road tripping, the amazing food options in Vancouver, aspects of Korea, and how awesome it is to drive a car in Langley. Looking forward to catching up with Min Woo in person one of these days.

“Here is some info for a blurb:

First name: Min

Last name: Lee

I'm a recent grad, working in docu-series and commercial production as an AC/DIT/CamOp/Stills photographer

Also working freelance as a TD for multi-cam productions

Local BC kid, shoots a bit of film! Loves feature/documentary/“

Follow Min Woo Lee at https://www.instagram.com/minwoo.films/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

Melissa was such a fun guest, she was born into photography as her father was a photographer and got her started early. She does rad street photography and is also an accomplished boudoir photographer. It was really cool to her about her practice and how she interacts with her clients. We went on a bit of a tangent on the amazing food to be had in Toronto and how many cool places there are to shoot. Then we got into a vigorous conversation covering various social issues. It’s nice to know people like Melissa exist out in the world. Hopefully, we can all show each other more respect and understanding before shit really pops off.

“Mel’s love of photography all started with a Hanimex 110, the first hand me down camera from her father. As the daughter of a professional photographer, she reaped the benefits of a home studio and darkroom. Shooting mostly film until recent years, she focuses on street photography, boudoir, and being a professional portrait photographer(and hype man) for her cat.

You can catch her on the streets of Toronto, risking getting squished by a streetcar to get the shot(or taking pictures of butts🍑)”

Follow Melissa at https://www.instagram.com/lunamothphoto/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

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A big thank you to Henri for inviting us into his space and sharing his stories. He talked about how he got started with photography and we dove into a few of his man books. He talked about Flapjacks & Photographs, Canada’s Gigantic, Big Stories, Babyland, and Eraser Street. He also showed us his postcard set for the Pancanadienne Gianthropological Survey which was 18 postcards from 1973 to 1984. We talked a little bit about his time as a teacher and stories about some of the greats out there like Robert Frank and Fred Herzog. Big thanks to @bigheadtaco for connecting us. Thank you for tuning it, hope you had as much fun as we did.

“Henri Robideau is a photographer and cultural narrator whose practice is grounded in history and animated by the social dynamics of our times. His lifelong involvement in photography incorporates more than fifty years of teaching, professional production for many of Canada’s leading artists and personal art creation incorporating photographic imagery and handwritten narrative text.”

Check out Henri at http://henrirobideau.ca/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

Chatting with @andyo7 tonight made me really miss Denton. Can’t wait to make it down this September for the next @instantfilmsociety PolaCon. Andy share with us his inception story into the photo world involving his father Minolta and he shared with us a few of his cameras. We got off into a tangent about microphones and then ride-sharing apps before we circled back into the realm of photo chats. He talked to us about some of the promo photos he shared and where they came from and then we got into some of the reasons why PolaCon is such a rad event. If you’re looking for something to do this fall you should check out PolaCon and maybe we’ll see you in Denton.

"What started out as a general curiosity has morphed into an outright obsession. I began playing around with instant film 4-5 years ago after Denton Camera Exchange opened and Daniel Rodrigue and Justin Goode gave an afternoon talk at a Denton music and culture festival I was volunteering with. Now, I have almost a dozen cameras and a dedicated film fridge. Now it feels weird to leave the house without a camera. I hope one day to actually be good at this stuff.”

Follow Andy at https://www.instagram.com/andyo7/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

Technical difficulties aside it was rad chatting it out with @nicolemarsden13 tonight. She has such an incredible eye for capturing abandoned places and her style with predominantly expired film lends to creating photos with lots of emotion. She shared with us some of her other creative outlets such as music, sewing, and candle making. If you’re looking for some cool candles check out her Etsy Foxy Empress Potions. She also hinted that a book may be in the works, which many of us are 100% down for. Keep an eye on Nicole, she's going to be making some pretty rad shit!

“Nicole Marsden is an analog photographer from Toronto. Her style is grungy with a focus on urbex, spirituality, and anything expired.”

Follow Nicole at https://www.instagram.com/nicolemarsden13/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

It was rad to get to know @cactuskillerr a bit more tonight. Kris has been working on building up the @lonestardarkroom in Dallas Texas and also has a budding tattoo practice that you can find out more about on her profile. We talked about the joys of the dark room, what is art and she shared with us some of her camera collection. If you are in the DFW be sure to stop by and say hi to her.

“Kris Wright is an interdisciplinary artist from Dallas, Texas. They work as a tattoo artist, specializing in illustrative line work tattoos, and own Lone Star Darkroom, a community darkroom in the design district of Dallas that offers film developing and darkroom rentals.”

Follow Kristin at https://www.instagram.com/cactuskillerr/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

Back in the before times, Alicia the proprietor of @queensshophair hosted my first solo exhibition and release of my first book. With the pandemic easing, she has started gallery programming in her space and invited me back. This time I figured it would be more fun to put together an exhibition with a few of my favorite degenerates in Toronto. Debased Depraved Degenerates features the work of Becca, Leslie, David, and myself. The exhibit will run till the end of June at Queens Shop and all of the photos are available to purchase. There will also be a book coming soon showcasing all of the work. I thought it might be fun to do a quick special episode during the opening so here it is :)

Check out Becca at https://www.instagram.com/becccashootsfilm/

Check out Leslie at https://www.instagram.com/frontoparietal/

Check out David at https://www.instagram.com/filmstreeter/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

We got weird on this episode and it was a lot of fun. @octaviasharpphotography shared a bit about how she got started with photography and then we got into life stuff. We talked about food quite a bit, different kinds of foods, fav foods, and what food looks like on the other side. We talked about the hilarity of kids swearing. We got into ghosts and aliens and politics. Peppered in the mix we talked about camera and film. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much in an episode before. I hope you have as much fun listening as we did making this episode :)

“Octavia Sharp started taking pictures at the age of 15 with a Pentax K1000 cutting her teeth as a photographer on the high school newspaper. She went on to study photography at Atlanta College of Art, then after three years working in a local lab in Atlanta, went back to school to gain her MFA (again in photography) at the University of Memphis from 1997-2000. Since then photography has fluttered in and out of her life, sometimes taking a backseat to daily life and various fleeting interests. Then in 2020 came the pandemic. Desperately needing to find some sort of joy within all the craziness, she decided it was time to dust off her trusty Hasselblad and get back to seeking solitude in a project started many moons ago, the interiors of mausoleums.”

Follow Sara at https://www.instagram.com/octaviasharpphotography/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

All hail West Texas :) It was so nice to reconnect with @sarabutton who joined us from Marfa Texas while hanging out in her newest venture the @marfafilmshop before she headed out for an Instax Photowalk. Sara has had a long history with film photography so it makes a lot of sense that she has launched a film shop. Sara shared with us how she got started and some of the adventures that she had since she started shooting in the mid-’90s. We got a little silly at the end with some TV jingles and talked about hopefully getting together at PolaCon later this fall. If you ever need film and film accessories and you’re in Marfa hit up Sara. Thanks for hanging out everyone.

“Sara Button is a photographer living in Marfa, Texas. She started & runs the local camera shop, Marfa Film Shop, which is housed in a cute micro adobe on San Antonio Street. The film shop provides a large variety of different film, cameras, film equipment, and more to people living in or traveling through Far West Texas.”

Follow Sara at https://www.instagram.com/sarabutton/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

We’ve been talking about having Juan of @beersandcameras on the chat for a while now and we were finally able to make it happen. He talked to us about his recent trip to Germany to see the Leica HQ during the new M6 launch. We got into how Beers & Cameras got started and what the future looks like for the group. We talked about male domination in the photography world and about how we can bring more inclusivity into the community. Then he ended off with some future stuff about the meta space meeting the real world, so give them a follow to stay tuned to updates there :)

“Juan Carlos Martinez considers himself a super-enthusiast with a rekindled love for photography after the birth of his first child. Always with camera in hand, the family documentarian founded the community building meet-ups known as Beers And Cameras (B&C) virtually by accident after a few casual meetings with like minded friends at craft breweries and sharing these events on Instagram. With as many chapters around the United States as years under their belt, B&C community has come to stand for a lifestyle brand for photographers with a love for connecting with their local community and gear. A place where community is first foremost and many network and connect making lifelong friendships. Film and digital friendly, the B&C community loves to partner with brands with the same philosophies to synergistically leverage each other and push the narrative which is for uncompromised love of photography and to ‘shoot everyday.’”

Follow Juan at https://www.instagram.com/beersandcameras/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

Apologies for the audio on this episode. Hadn't dialed in the new setup yet. Will be better on the next one.

Well, I think that the first in-person chat went really well. I had a great time talking with @sloancam about how he got started and what he digs about photography. We talked about our creative practices and just about life in general. We got a little into upcoming projects and I invited him to be part of some wheat paste projects coming up this spring/summer. I think this will be the first of many in-person chats.

“I tend to use photography as a means for adventure rather than explicitly as a form of art or self-expression. My camera pushes me to go out and explore, whether locally on a short walk with my dog, or on a longer trip.

Photography has enhanced my appreciation of the many small things that I find all around me. I tend to be a big planner, but when I’m out taking pictures, I am pulled back to the present and what’s right there in the moment, rather than always looking ahead and planning for the future, so my work is really just a reflection of the moments I find interesting along those adventures.”

-Cam Sloan

Follow Cam at https://www.instagram.com/sloancam/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

What a chat, so rad to see @danieltrodrigue albeit virtually; love that guy. He shared how he got started doing photography which lead to teaching (he’s an OG Polaroid head) some really great stories there on events that he has covered. He has been carrying the torch at the school that helped him get started with photography which is rad. We talked about #edwinlandday which is coming up on May 7th on Papa Land’s birthday, they are going to be hosting a photo walk in Denton but are also encouraging other people to host photo walks for Edwin Land Day in your local city. I would like to put one together for Toronto if anyone is down, let me know. We of course dug into PolaCon, how it started and what it is about. So much to say here so it's just easier to catch the recording if you missed the live. I shared what PolaCon means to me and how important the people in the community are, love you and miss you guys. Can’t wait to see y’all in September. Stay safe out there <3

“Daniel Rodrigue is a professor of journalism, photojournalism, and photography (digital and 35mm darkroom-based) at Dallas College Brookhaven Campus, where he also advises the award-winning student newspaper and magazines. He's been a contributing writer and photographer with the Dallas Observer since 2008. Co-founded Instant Film Society in 2012 to increase awareness, understanding, and accessibility of analog instant films, and then hosted the first PolaCon in 2016. The rest is history and hashtags….”

Photo of Daniel by Ben Fraternale aka @the.instantgram

Follow Daniel at https://www.instagram.com/danieltrodrigue/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

I love the community that is here on the grams, I have been lucky to meet so many great people and @kate.gos is one of them for sure. Kate chatted about how she got started with photography and about what her childhood was like on a remote Russian island near Japan. We talked about human behavior and the tragedies many countries are facing right now including Ukraine. She shared with us some of the projects that she has in mind and some of her future plans for her practice. She is going to have an exhibition in Woodstock NY this August so give her a follow for updates on that. Thank you Kate it was really lovely talking with you. Here is a little more about Kate.

"I was born on Sakhalin Island in the Russian East, north of Japan. After graduating from high school and art school in my hometown Korsakov, I've traveled nine time zones to study at Moscow State University. I've got a degree in journalism and I was the first in my family who obtained a college degree. When I finished high school it was the 90s, and the Soviet Union had just collapsed, when I arrived in Moscow it was chaos and now I really wish I had chosen a different major. Anyway, 10 years later, after my University graduation, in 2012 I moved to NYC, another 8 time zones. As they say, America is the land of second chances, so I've decided it was now or never to pursue my artistic career, which seemed impossible in post-soviet Russia. I've started painting but pretty quickly realized how this world works in the US and my enthusiasm went down, until the day when a friend of mine introduced me to the Yashica 120G mat. That's it, my heart was stolen and till this very day, I love how every mechanical camera sounds and I became a photographer. I mean, it became my hobby. But I wanted more, so I went to study, then COVID happened, and the study got paused. My family and I had moved to Upstate NY and my dad with my husband built a darkroom for me, so I'm still here, stuck in Woodstock with my home studio, working basically in the woods. 

Interesting fact - I never thought I would come back to my island, but ever since I stepped into the photography world I couldn't stop thinking about my homeland. And in 2019 I traveled there, 20 years later! Unfortunately, it was a brief trip, but I took some pictures and one of them won second prize in the international photo awards. 

In December 2021 I started working on a project about the native population of my island - I was supposed to go in fall 2022 to shoot there for a month, but due to world events it's been canceled. Hopefully postponed till 2023. This is my goal now, as a photographer, I found a purpose - I want to depict "Nivkhs" - the dying nation of my land.

My inspiration - people and nature. My tool - medium format. I love alternative processing techniques - my latest skill - platinum palladium printing, it's a perfect combination of painting and photography, which gives me great joy! :)

I am currently working on a new project called "Wild Woman".

That is the reason why I can’t send you my latest work, it should be unseen."

Follow Kate at https://www.instagram.com/kate.gos/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

We had fun on the chat tonight @johnnythebandit talked about how he got started and got into a project he is working on that sounds really interesting around double exposures. He got into how the film community has been so welcoming and awesome to him and the importance of it. We talked a lot about the camera stores we love like @galaxycameraottawa and @downtowncamera and we got into the nitty-gritty about cheap films and film availability. All in all, I had a great time chatting it out with John and appreciate him sharing some time with me. Here is a little more from John himself.

“I’m John or online Johnny the Bandit. I got into photography in 2019 when I was living in Ottawa for the first time. The local camera shop owner convinced me to try film and I have been addicted since. I love taking portraits. I have asked people whos style has caught my eye for portraits. It is nerve-racking but worth it. I wasn’t permitted to touch the family camera in my younger years. I think this has motivated me to take a lot of what I like to call “Mum or Dad” photography. I am always documenting friends as if I am the Mum or Dad of the hangout. I have been exploring photography and journaling what exactly I like about it. I think it is the ability to tell a story. I hope to start a photography project that tells a story soon. Currently, I am exploring night photography, completing photo challenges from other photographers, and learning how to shoot/develop/scan Black and White film.

Stay gold, JohnC”

Follow John at https://www.instagram.com/johnnythebandit/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

Oh man, I love this guy, what a treat to catch up with @brian_brooks and hear about how PolaCon Bay Area went this year. We spent some time on the great community that is @instantfilmsociety and how to get involved with them. Of course, there was talk of Polaroids and I shared the crazy story of my move across Canada from Toronto to Vancouver last year. Looking forward to seeing Brian and the other PolaPals in Denton in September. Stay safe out there y’all and keep being awesome.

Profile photo by https://www.instagram.com/nickcollingwoodvintage/

Follow Brian at https://www.instagram.com/brian_brooks/

Follow the Instant Film Society at https://www.instagram.com/instantfilmsociety/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

This episode was a great adventure. It was a pleasure to chat with Diane about her work and get to know her more. I really loved that she photographed her whole book with an iPhone proving you don’t need a fancy camera to make great work. *Trigger Warning* our conversation did get a little heavy discussing depression and suicide, we also got into the common theme on the chat about community. Her book holding hands is all about human connection and I feel that is something that really resonates with most of us, especially given the weight of the pandemic. We talked about photo books and movies and how photography can create nostalgia for us. I really look forward to keeping up with Diane and I hope y’all enjoy this episode.

If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental crisis or if you’re concerned about them please do not call the police for a health check. You can share with them some resources below or just try to be there to listen to them.

In Canada: 1-833-456-4566

In USA: Text HOME to 741741

Follow Diane at https://www.instagram.com/theyareholdinghands/

Learn More about Diane here

Purchase Her book here

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

Holy Hannibal this was a fun chat, @stevereevesmsp is an awesome dude. We got into a bit of politics so trigger warning there but then we dipped into photo road trips and how rad they are. He talked about his work over at @filmphotographic which was really cool to hear the behind-the-scenes on some books many of us love. We got into the mutual love of instant film and talked about how great the @instantfilmsociety is. If you missed the live definitely check out the recording. Can’t wait to catch up with you in September at the next PolaCon :)

“Steven Reeves is a photographer, printer, teacher, and FM radio DJ. Together with his wife Erin, they operate Makeshift Photography out of their studio in the historical Deep Ellum neighborhood of Dallas, TX.

What began as a love for photography has evolved over the last 12 years into a multi-faceted and at times bewildering collection of experiences and opportunities that include amassing a vintage camera collection with some going back 120 years, logging well over 50,000 miles of road trips across the country, teaching traditional black and white printmaking in one of the few remaining teaching darkrooms in Dallas, working extensively with Jason lee and Film Photographic in the production of several books, large format prints, and gallery and museum exhibitions, as well as continued involvement with the Instant Film Society.

Commercially, Steven has developed a specialized group of services that caters to artists and photographers in an effort to provide one-stop shopping for all the elements of putting together gallery exhibitions. The truly rewarding aspect of this is getting to work with new and emerging artists who may be putting on their first shows and helping them navigate the process in an economical way in order to maximize their profits.”

Web: www.makeshiftphoto.com

Radio:

Notes From The Underground

KNON 89.3 FM - Dallas/Ft. Worth

Wednesday Nights from 8 - 10 PM Central

www.knon.org/notes-from-the-underground

TuneInRadio: http://tun.in/ser11

Follow Steven at https://www.instagram.com/stevereevesmsp/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

It was a real pleasure to chat it out with @daniellegoshay tonight. We talked about some of her projects coming up, a book on the history of wheat pasting with @jumblefacefoto, and a group show she is curating in Toronto for May Day showcasing the work of several artists in a public wheat paste display. She shared how she got started with photography and what drives her. Then we got a bit into how the pandemic has affected us all and the hope for a new renaissance in the post-pandemic world and what we would like to see it being. If you aren’t following her yet check out her work and stay tuned for the book and May Day.

“Danielle Goshay is a Canadian/American artist based in Toronto whose practice includes experimental digital and film photography and alternative process. Goshay studied at Pittsburgh Filmmakers media arts center in Pennsylvania and has exhibited work in Pittsburgh and Toronto. Goshay's published visual art and creative non-fiction can be found in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Sublet Press, maybe. magazine for analogue photography, AGON Journal, Hecate Magazine, and KNACK Magazine.”

Check out her website: daniellegoshayphotography.com

Follow Danielle at https://www.instagram.com/daniellegoshay/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

@msdakotalee was a treat to have on the chat. She talked about how modeling go her started down the path to be a photographer. We shared our mutual love of swearing and how fun it is :p we talked a little bit about current events and then we wrapped up on the kind of work that she wants to focus on with her photography practice. If you have not checked her work out, give her a follow and show some love.

“I’ve been modeling full time for 7 years now as an international model, and I started shooting professionally as a photographer about two years ago. I produce photo adventures and workshops on a national level- my next photo adventure will take me to Joshua Tree! I live in Frederick Maryland with my son and cat.”

Follow Dakota at https://www.instagram.com/msdakotalee/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

I had a most excellent time catching up with @kerenhitterman and chatting about what got her started on her photography journey, what inspires her, and what kind of things she’s been working on. She talked a bit about her work in film and the experience she has had in the covid era because of it. We talked a little bit about the Canadian Goose Convoy currently plaguing our country cause it's a current event. And we reminisced of times we could travel. I hope to see Keren soon to go on more photo adventures and I hope you check her out on the grams to see some of her rad work! Here is a little more about Keren.

“My name is Keren Hitterman and I am a photographer living in Toronto. I work in the film industry in Toronto, in the camera department. What inspires my photography comes from experiencing life, and just trying to capture those moments and memories. Otherwise, I get a lot of inspiration from watching movies and television shows, not working on them.”

Follow Keren at https://www.instagram.com/kerenhitterman/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

I have not laughed so much in a while, chatting with @maxsprkplg tonight was so rad. Mario is such a chill dude and his talent for camera-building is incredible. We talked a little bit about my trip down to the states for Polacon. We also got into what was fun about Polacon for both of us and some of the moments we shared there. We got into a bunch of silly movie remake ideas and then he schooled us on 3D printers. I also dropped the giveaway for a @cameradactyl Polaroid scanning tray, look for details on where to sign up for that soon. So stoked to see what else Mario is going to create and contribute to the film community.

“Mario Machon (@maxsprkplg on Instagram) is on a mission to create his own perfect homemade cameras. He considers himself more of a camera sculptor than a designer or manufacturer. Always happy to share files and knowledge with those who can print on their own, or happy to make high-quality builds for those who can’t.

He is currently studying Convinceyoutogetaprinter Studies at the School of Cameradactyl.”

Follow Mario at https://www.instagram.com/maxsprkplg/

Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmEST

Give me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/