Beach Homes / New Topographics

As mentioned in a previous post, I love the beach atmosphere. Here are a few compositions of various houses on or near the beach. I used a Fujifilm Instax Wide 200 instant print camera.

Old Photo of Mine Finds Life Again

South Writ Large - Into the Woods, Cicero!

I am an infrequent blogger but this photo, from one of my blog posts almost a year ago about the Father/Daughter camping weekend my daughter & I enjoyed, is used in a new article in the quarterly online literary publication, South Writ Large. 

'RoidWeek 2013

Print for this Couple on Ponce, a photo by Jeff* on Flickr.

The following were four images I took for this week, 7/15/13 - 7/19/13. fortunately it allows any type of instant film - not just Polaroid - so my Fujifilm instax prints were ok to submit. :)

The first photo:
I just finished taking a snap of EATS and this couple was stopped at the traffic light. I emailed them my flickr link if they want to download this photo of them. I was trying to type his address on my blackberry so I hope I got it correct.

The photo below is EATS on Ponce deLeon.
 

 
The above image is small "new topographics" attempt on Howell Mill Road.

The fourth photo is AZAR, a liquor/spirits store on Memorial Drive; just caught the last of the setting sun as it hit the sign.

Sunday Morning Fishing - FujiFim Instax Prints

Sunday Morning Fishing, a photo by Jeff* on Flickr.

My daughter, Katie was aware of the camera's presence but was not posing for a shot. These two photographs were taken with a FujiFilm Instax 200 camera. For those not familiar with it, the camera is a contemporary option to the Polaroid instant film cameras. After using digital cameras for a number of years it is nice to take a break and return to the simplicity of not just film, but seeing an image develop before your eyes. Holding a photograph in your hands right then & there.. The novelty of this for kids - or even adults who might have forgotten about Polaroid - is great to watch. I like the color pallet the instant film produces.  I'm not going to enter into any "is this better or worse than Polaroid" conversations as I just enjoy the tones and atmosphere from these shots.

For the above shot, the in-camera flash used to bring out more detail in the foreground. It started raining - as it did most of this weekend - so Katie has the hood over her head.




 
This version taken without a flash still has some nice light on my daughter. I also like that she had her hood off in this shot. It was taken before it rained as my daughter put her hood on as seen in the above photo.

As for fishing? We didn't even get a bite! But I like being able to see these memories. Next time...

13 year-old Expired Film + a Fuji plastic point shoot camera

Fuji FZ-6 plastic point shoot camera, a photo by Jeff* on Flickr.

I've had this plastic point n shoot camera lying around the house for so many years I forgot how or when I picked it up. I used a roll of expired film branded "CVS" film (it is a pharmacy store chain), ISO 200 with a "develop by 2000" date.  Below are some shots from the roll; taken on the Santa Monica pier in May 2013 - not bad for an old film. How the film is stored can affect its quality; I honestly don't remember how this film was stored but if it was stored outside I don't think the results would have been as nice. 

iceland

iceland, a photo by Jeff* on Flickr.

belle of the brawl

An evening watching the Atlanta Roller Girls. They rock!
belle of the brawl, a photo by Jeff* on Flickr.

lure of the beach

I'm an urban person. I live, work & breathe in the city. I sunburn easy; I'm not even a good swimmer. Still, I love going to the beach no matter what the season. Why? Everyone has their own subjective reason. My own rambling thoughts:

Life has enough challenges for many of us. Going to the beach & sea represents a therapeutic change in atmosphere for me. My fair skin and bald head already tells you I can sunburn quicker than you can say "antidisestablishmentarianism" but dressing down into swimwear creates a physical break from the daily routine. If I have a hat and umbrella (or some shade) I am golden all day. If one finds a quiet moment to take part in some skinny dipping than the feeling of total shedding of oneself and bonding with the water is wonderful (without causing a ruckus or freaking others out). I love the smell of the salt air and the sound of waves against the shore; I find it invigorating.

I enjoy observing families enjoying each others company and individuals of all shapes & ages shed their day-to-day outer shell into something (usually) less pretentious. Sometimes there are boardwalks or a simple path to the street. No matter what, one can take in a different kind of real-life theater different than what one sees on the streets.

If I approach it properly, the beach can slow me down and let the stress ebb from my mind & body.

The Pulse of the Beach, the Lure of the Water

Urban Pause

Urban Pause, a photo by Jeff* on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
tumblr

Hot Dog Stick

Hot Dog Stick, a photo by Jeff* on Flickr.

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An important film to watch if a screening is available in your area.

School, Village on the Napo River, Peru

School, Village on the Napo River, Peru, a photo by Jeff__ on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
School children, Napo River, Amazon rainforest Peru. 1994.
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Tri-X film. Printed full frame with a filed negative carrier. The uneven border around the print is a result of the filed negative carrier being exposed to the darkroom enlarger light when the print is not cropped. I guess it's a darkroom special effect way before photoshop. :)
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© 1994 CarrPhotography; all rights reserved
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