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Venus in Furs
What does Leopold von Sacher-Masoch have to do with my celebration of ULTRAsomething’s 100th post? Everything, most likely.
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Fireworkzzz
Once every three years, as if possessed by some inner-biological masochism clock, I’ll inexplicably grab a camera on the way out the door to watch Vancouver’s annual Celebration of Light fireworks competition. It’s a curious act for someone who’s violently allergic to fireworks photos.
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Red v. Green
Red cameras are intriguing — not just for filmmakers, but for still photographers as well. But they’re also expensive. Even a complete “entry level” Red Scarlet system is likely to cost as much as a brand new fully-loaded compact automobile. Which is precisely why, when I set out to see how a Red camera might…
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47 Photos of Rain
It might be a film. It might be a slide show. It might be a music video. Or it might just be me trying to grunt and babble my way to a new visual language. All that’s really known is it’s a collection of 47 moody, melancholic, phantasmagorical photos of rain, sequenced into an ebb…
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Term Limits
We need to fit the term “photographer” with a pair of concrete shoes, and drop it in the nearest lake. Photography is no longer a unique ability — but the numerous tasks we can accomplish with photography ARE still unique. And this uniqueness is how each of us, moving forward, must define ourselves.
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Pavement
I receive numerous emails questioning me about my photographs and techniques. In order to answer them all, I’ve created this, umm, step-by-step video guide to street photography.
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Hatch Battening
On May 10th, Leica Camera announced the M-Monochrom, a modified version of my beloved M9, which contains a monochromatic (rather than color) digital sensor. It’s the camera I’ve dreamed of owning for over 6 years. So why am I having nightmares? Because I’m trying desperately to convince myself I don’t actually need it.
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Glam Cams
In this article, I struggle with the idea that my rugged, he-man camera of choice isn’t peddled in a depot, market or shop — but in a boutique! And I attend the opening of the first Leica Boutique in Canada in an effort to get to the bottom of it all.
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A Derelict Memory Lane
“Memory Lane,” as I define it, is “a long strip of acetate with a silver halide coating.” I consider my film cameras to be miniature time capsules — my past self records a person, scene or event that it thinks my future self will find interesting. This article discusses one such trip down Memory Lane,…
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Rodinal Jones
Chemical dependency is defined as an addiction to a mood-altering chemical. If denied access to the chemical, the dependent person is unable to function properly, and lives only for the chemical and the relief it brings. I never thought it would happen to me — but that was before I discovered the magical developing powers…
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Resurrection: AE-1
At this very moment, there are likely thousands of Canon AE-1’s languishing in boxes, drawers and cabinets all around the world. Pity. Because this is as wonderful a camera today as it was when it was first released in 1976. This is the story of my Dad’s AE-1, and its resurrection from a 30 year…
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Gear Guano Canal
There is no such thing as technical perfection. There is no perfect camera. There is no perfect lens, flash, film or Photoshop plugin. There is only the perfect image — and people have been taking them for well over a hundred years with some amazingly imperfect gear. So why do we, as photographers, spend so…
