Roll 1:52 Reboot

As promised I’m back, albeit a bit late to get out of the gate. I’m not making a pretense about “weeks” this year – just 52 rolls, whenever they decide to show up. I decided that if I was going to do this project another year I would have to set some very specific goals. I did that last year and didn’t do all that well, although I did get to know some of my cameras a bit better. Anyway, this year’s primary goal, for this blog, is to shoot and post only medium format film. At present, that means my beastly but wonderful Pentax 67, my Agfa Isolette which was a rebound relationship after the loss of my Voigtlander Perkeo, and my new plastic fantastic Diana because I hated my Holga so much I thought I should take up with her slightly less awful sister. So, having set this challenge for myself I also decided that now would be a great time to start developing my own C41 because, why not? Also developing all that film, even when I scan myself, gets costly and involves a lot of waiting.

This year’s first roll is, fittingly one that was started in October of last year. That’s how much I shoot medium format when not compelled. It was loaded in my Pentax and only had 3 shots taken, from a visit to one of my always favorite cemeteries in Los Angeles.

Because I haven’t been doing any traveling since my trip to Iceland last May, and don’t get to LA much, I decided to see if I could create a more comprehensive project or series using just my local area, where I have photographed most of the interesting things at least ten times. My idea was to lurk around in alleys and small back streets where there is still a ton of funkiness. While there is massive upmarket construction, and even the most run down properties cost nearly $1 Million, there are still lots of little beach town, hippie influenced and just downright strange places around here which bear exploring. We also, sadly, have an ever increasing homeless population which may make dumpsters more interesting. I know of at least one dumpster enclosure where a person or persons have taken up residence and will go in and out in broad daylight. Haven’t worked up the courage to try and photograph that yet.

BTW the film is Ektar 100. It did sit in the camera for three months so I’m not sure if that affected the colors on the later shots but I like them all. Next roll, my first date with the Isolette.