The one post a day challenge

Four years ago, in 2016 I started this blog http://andreasrmueller.blogspot.com/ with a little project.

The challenge was to post one contribution on photography every single day. - This resulted in an interesting collection of content on and about photography. A summary review can be read in the post on December 31st, 2016.

Over the year a lot of interesting content came together. Content on travel photography, on underwater photography, on photography techniques, on cameras, technology, and picture reviews. 

It was a challenge to post one contribution per day. But it was also rewarding to research and compile content on a regular basis and produce the 365 individual contributions.

Now, four years later going into 2021 my New Years resolution will be to contribute some more serious content about photography in general, and my personal photography creations in particular. Not on a daily but on a more or less regular basis.

Please come back and see. Subscribe to our blog.

Creative Photography Techniques - Bottled Finnish Landscapes

Bottled Finnish Landscapes by Christoffer Relander: interesting and surrealistic pieces of art captured on film.

Read the article at thisiscolossal.com for detailed explanations and further examples. link

This effect is achieved by using double exposure technique.
The first shot is an exposure of the glass in front of an illuminated white background. Light is set up in a way that the glass area turns out underexposed or almost perfectly black while the illuminated background area is completely overexposed or burnt out.
In order to give the glass some plasticity and three dimensional look there need to be some reflections on the glass and shadows on the base ground.

The second exposure is in nature capturing a beautiful landscape and exposing the non or underexposed area of the glass. This second step implants the landscape into the glass.

The effect is gorgeous.

I am wondering if this can be done on digital too.
Technically there should be no issue. So, let's go out and try it.









Watch the documentary on how it is done:

Film Photography - Shoot Film!

Ted Forbes advocating for going out and shooting film...

Shooting a 300 Megapixel Photo

The controversy around megapixels in today's photography world is big. And what is better resolution wise? The digital or the good old film technology?

Markus Hofstaetter gives some answers in a recent blog post on petapixel.com.
In this post he describes a photography job where huge resolution did matter. Since the required 300 megapixel resolution was pushing all limits of gear the photographer decided to apply two strategies.

Digital:
Using a Canon 5D Mark III he took a series of pictures which were stitched together in post processing to a huge high resolution image.

Film:
Applying a Linhof Master Technika loaded with Kodak Portra 160 VC film in one shot and professionally scanning that photograph.

The results are both amazing. - See the blog post for more details.
Apparently the customer went for the film version since he did like more the look.

Film Photography Crash Course

Read another blog post around film photography at photographyconcentrate.com.

Rob Lim compiled a nice article on film photography: Film Photography Crash Course

Rob Lim names main motivators for shooting film to be:

- The look of film
- The process of shooting film
- Helps you learn photography

One interesting reference is to digitaltruth.com with a series of apps for the film photographer who wants to take control over all his development and printing process.

Revival of Vanishing Technologies Through Art

It is no secret that technologies which already disappeared go through serious revival. Not only in photography but also in many handcrafts.

Visit the blog post by Ariela Gittlen on 7 Vanishing Technologies Making a Comeback Through Art.
It is a portrait interesting to read of seven technologies which are going through serious revival in newer times.

• Film photography
• Polaroids
• Screen-Printed Textiles
• Practical Special Effects
• Sign Painting
• Mail Art
• Cadmium Pigment

Raising Interest in Analog Photography

A recent survey around analog photography shows interesting conclusions.

More than 50% of analog photographers expose more than 50 films per year.

More than 60% of film photographers are photographers for a long time.
Interestingly, 7% are newbies in photography.

The ambitious analog photographer self develops his films.

When it comes to develop prints on paper still 47% are following the complete analog process.

A majority of analog photographers prefers black and white film.

Kodak Ektar 100 Film Review - I Still Shoot Film Blog

For film lovers: read the Kodak Ektar 100 film review at I Still Shoot Film: link

Featuring David McGhee

David McGhee: Dallas Photographer, Dallas Food and Bevergae Photographer, Marriott preferred photographer, Dallas architectural photographer, American Portraits, David McGhee Photographer, Photo producer in Dallas

David McGhee has an impressive portfolio of large format landscape images.
I do not know what camera he uses, how he captures and develops these images, but it is an impressive piece of art.

Have a look at David's site link and be inspired by what he does and how it is presented.

Beginners Guide to 35mm Film Camera

For digital natives! - Have you ever wondered how a mechanical 35mm film camera works and needs to be handled in order to get results?

Here is a comprehensive HowTo. - Enjoy the fun!

A Documentary About Film Photography

Brothers Wright - no not the inventors of the airplane, but founders of CineStillFilm - are running a business bringing classic motion picture film to still photography format.
Watch the interview on their philosophy, motivation and vision.

Selecting the right film

I was not aware that Jared Polin - Fro Knows Photo - was running a film photography project.

Classic Cameras

Classic vintage cameras come more and more en vogue nowadays.

Approximately two years ago I started working with old film cameras again. And I notice more and more that this becomes a real trend.

In the video below the colleagues from DigitalRev TV give a review on the Kodak Retina IIIC camera.
This camera has been introduced in 1954. It is a compact range finder camera which was designed with a lens system allowing to interchange the front elements of the lenses. It is an interesting piece of engineering.

On eBay this camera can be purchased at 100 to 300 US$ depending on conditions.

Portraits on Film - Happy Birthday

Today it is the birthday of my mother. - Happy Birthday!

I take this opportunity to share two images of here. Both taken on film.
There are only a few technical differences between the two images.
- some 45 years in time, but only approximately 5 years in manufacturing date of the cameras
- the older one is in color
- the color one was taken on a film which is not available any longer - Kodak Kodachrome
- the newer one is in black and white
- the black and white one on a film which is still counted as state of the art - Ilford HP5

Annelies Müller - Scan from Kodachrome negative

Annelies Müller - Scan from Ilford HP5 120 film, Hasselblad 500 c/m

The Value of Shooting Film - A Documentary

Watch this interesting documentary on the value of shooting film:

Kodak Ektachrome - Color Sportsphotography

Sportsphotographer Neil Leifer has probably taken the first iconic color photograph in sports photography ever.

Muhammad Ali in winning pose in the fight against Sonny Liston taken using Kodak Ektachrome and a flash setup.

Read more about this historical image at: http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2015/05/ali_liston_50th_anniversary_the_true_story_behind_neil_leifer_s_perfect.html?wpsrc=fol_tw

Range finder film camera

15 years after shooting my last film pictures - film was the way I got into film photography - I rediscovered film when my father brought me a series of very old cameras he found somewhere.

I gave the Ilford Sportsman, a camera from 1958, a try. In my cupboard I could find a 10 year old 35mm Kodak film cartridge which I did not know how good it still would be.

Even tough the camera had some mechanical issues the results were quite impressive.

 Here a couple of images which were the first results from this 10 years old not correctly stored film and the camera which was not used for probably more than 30 years.

 The results are quite impressive. Since everything is manual there are a couple of challenges and one has to understand about depth of field, exposure, and focusing.

Visit the galleries on my website to see some of my best results using different film.


 The proof that this camera can take really good pictures can be viewed at at:
- 2014 JUNE - KODAK 200 ASA

- 2015 AUGUST - ILFORD XP2 400 ASA

Medium Format Photography: Mamia RZ67 & Pentax 67

DigitalRev TV with an Analog Review of two iconic analog medium format cameras.

Film for Color Landscape Photography

What is your choice of film for color landscape photography?

Ben Horne talks about his experience using Fuji Velvia 50, Kodak Ektar 100, and Kodak Portra 160 film shooting landscape.

Viral Nature Photo Challenge

I've been nominated by Joseph John Pucadyil to participate in a 7 day nature photo challenge. I need to post one photo a day for 7 days and nominate one person each day to pass this along so we can flood FB with great photos of nature.

If you want to click you through the hyperlinked paths of this viral game, and if you want to know how far it did go, find here the link to my very first post: Day 1: Cherry Blossom

I decided to share a series of pictures taken using my old Hasselblad 500 c/m camera on film.

Here is the stream of photographs I've been sharing during subsequent days.