Polaroids + Large Format + 35mm

December 29, 2021

I have kinda been failing at this blog for the last couple of years (wonder if there’s…. something happening in the world that’s stifling creativity lately? Hmm…) so I figured might as well sneak in one last post into 2021. A brief shoot with Paloma on everything from tiny 35mm up to 4x5 and a couple of my earliest 8x10 portraits.

Definitely one of my favorites was almost one of the first photos of the day. Trying to get into the flow and just being goofy with posing hands and we landed on this funky pretzel arm pose and combined with the expired Polaroid 669 film, it really hits hard.

Then came the big boys. Recently borrowed a gorgeous 8x10 Chamonix large format camera from a friend and have been trying to put it to work while I have it. So a couple shots with Paloma seemed appropriate. Once I landed on a pose with 35mm, I grabbed the 8x10 and pulled off the shot below. Nothing like seeing a sheet of film bigger than your face in the darkroom.

And popped of another Polaroid of the red dress with some very bizarre Polaroid Type 79 film that came out beautifully. The colors do not disappoint. Experimented with the generally unusable negative as well. Had to cover myself with a BW shot which is at the top of the post which I really love as well.

Grabbed one last shot in the red dress with my new Lomography LomoGraflok back for large format cameras. Nice to shoot a cheaper instant film like Instax in a good camera.

Then switched up the outfit a bit and added some lace to the mix.

And again, loving the back shot, played with a variation of that for the second 8x10 shot and after messing around with the hair and buttons a bit, landed on something I loved.

Figured we could move from the studio setup and shoot around my living room with my 1940s large format camera and more Polaroids/35mm.

A few last Polaroids and look changes before the end of the shoot.

Yet one of my other favorites from the shoot was the last. A messy hair shot that came out like someone living in a foggy dream. One on expired Type 59 film (my favorite) and a test on the Lomo back.

A good shoot to cap off my 2021 year. Always shooting. Always improving. Always experimenting.

And shout out to Paloma of Crawford Models who killed it on this shoot and not only put up with the weird cameras but was itching to get her 35mm camera back in action in 2022.

Cameras used:

Chamonix 8x10 with 240mm f5.6 // Arista 400 BW 8x10 film

Speed Graphic with Zeiss Tessar 165mm f3.5 and Fujinon 210mm f5.6 // Arista 400 BW 4x5 film / LomoGraflok with Instax Wide / Expired Polaroid Type 59/79

Graflex Super D with Zeiss Tessar 150mm f3.5 // Arista 400 BW 4x5 film / Expired Polaroid 669

Polaroid 195 // Polaroid 669

Nikon S2 // Arista 400 BW 35mm film

Maggie & Alex Wedding // Super 8 + Polaroids

August 20, 2017

Flying home is always nice but when it's for a close friend's wedding, it's even better. My wife has been friend's with Maggie since childhood so we were pretty thrilled to be at this wedding and personally I'm always excited to be invited to shoot such a special day for a friend on film.

The setting for their beautiful wedding was at the Forest Park World's Fair Pavilion overlooking a large area of the park, a stellar view and great setup for a wedding. The day started at the Chase Park Plaza where both the bride and groom were getting prepared. I was shooting Super 8 throughout the day and of course, brought along my Polaroid 110B to shoot some Instax Wide film.

Once the bride was ready, she hopped in a vintage-styled trolly car with the bridesmaids and headed to the ceremony. No first looks here! Except... the bride did share a lovely moment with her dad for a father-daughter first look before we left the hotel. It was so sweet! When we arrived, the guests and the groom were all ready for her entrance! You can see the entire wedding film below and be sure to listen to their very cute vows.

After the kiss, a surprise bag-piper showed up as is tradition in the family. It was amazing to say the least. Then the entire wedding party hopped on board the trolly and made their way around St. Louis for some scenic spots to take photos.

The reception was a total blast and plenty of dancing and good times were had. All in all, a fantastic wedding and so much fun to capture a little vignette of their day on Super 8.

Women's March protest washington nyc 7.jpg

Women's March on Washington (NYC) 2017 // Super 8 + Polaroids

July 12, 2017

Without a doubt, we are in a very tumultuous time and that gives us all the more reason to document and discuss the happenings of today. This was no more apparent than the Women's March on Washington in January of 2017 where millions of people of all genders, races and ages marched together for a cause they believed in. It was an emotional day and truly inspiring to see so many people hitting the pavement in an age where armchair activism is the preferred method of making one's voice heard. The edited film is below.

I attended the Women's March in NYC (although it happened at many cities around the country if not the world) and brought along my Instax Wide 300 camera along with my Canon 814XL-S with some Tri-X to document this momentous march. I also opted to bring along a small sound recorder to capture some of the march's chants and cheers.

I started out near 45nd and 3rd where it was supposed to start I think and it was at a dead standstill. I guess getting the locomotive going took a lot of effort. Nevertheless, people were in good spirits and ready to make their voices heard. We did eventually start moving and making our way to 42nd St then across to 5th Ave then up where it finished at Trump Tower at 59th St. The entire march went on for hours and was strong throughout. As can be seen by these photos and the Super 8 film, there will tens of thousands of people out to march. Most likely the most people I've ever seen gathered in the streets in my entire life.

The signage throughout the day was truly incredible and there were some really clever signs out there. I wish I had documented more individuals at the march to be honest but was a bit swept up in the event and the energy. I know everyone that may read this blog may not agree and that's ok but I hope that the American people can still continue to feel energized for positive political and social change for humanity. Progress definitely isn't an easy path but it's a worthwhile one.

Cameras used:

Super 8mm and Polaroid work featured on

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