Get Ready World.

This little thing changed my life.

Not too long ago I bought a digital camera.  A badass Nikon d70.  6mp.  Hardcore.  I taught myself photography with that camera.  I thought i was good – when i really wasn’t.  In reality, i sucked.  Hard.  But I was all digital.  I loved it.  Film was stupid and digital rocked.  Who would want to use film anymore?  Film was for photographers that didn’t want to move into the future.

I upgraded along the way a couple times.  A d300.  A d700.  Grabbed some flashes … some gear.  A nice bag.  I was going somewhere.  I felt comfortable behind the camera.  I was happy with my vision and my approach.  I was happy with my business and where I was headed.  But deep down something was wrong.  I wasn’t happy with was my processing and editing.  No matter what i did, I never felt 100% happy with how I edited.  Was it bad?  No.  But it wasn’t up to my strict standards.  Some of you close to me know this.  I vented.  I was frustrated.  To me, my work was flat.  I kept telling myself it would go away.  And for a moment after each session, it did.  But then it came back stronger.

I’m an artist and I love what I do.  I know its cliche but there is literally nothing else I want to do in my life.  I photograph life.  I always will.  If you are an artist you  know how I feel.  Always searching.  Always striving to be better.  But never quite succeeding.

Enter film.

Roughly 9 months ago, a good friend of mine (you know who you are) pushed me … well, guided me in the direction of film … as i was very curious about it.  I tried film one time a number of years ago with a friend’s camera.  Hated it.  At this point in my career I felt my digital images lacked soul.  I was happy with my compositions but felt at odds with my editing.  The atmosphere and emotion i was going for was present … just not all there.  Something was missing.

And so I began my foray into film.  At first, as expected, I bombed.  Then again.  And again.  At one point not using it for a couple months because I was frustrated.  But i tried again, this time with a different camera.  And then it hit.  Hard.

In a complete 180, I now fully understand, love, trust, admire, and appreciate film.  In that 1″ x 2 5/8″ little roll lies an essence and beauty digital can’t imitate.  Film has a soul.  An inner beauty.  It contains emotion, feeling and attitude.  When you nail a shot using film its perfection.  It’s pure lust.  It leaves you wanting more.  Yes, I just said that ; ).  Its not the same with digital.  I’m not saying digital is bad at all, I still use it … but it’s not the same.  You don’t get that … well, I don’t get that … same feeling.  With film, its already there.  It’s there before you even shoot.  Waiting in that roll is so much beauty … you just need to know how to bring it all out.  That little roll is a thrill each time I break the seal.  Sending it off to be processed is wonderful.  Receiving the images back is even better!  Memory cards?  Blah.  Just a bunch of data ; ).

I’m definitely a novice when it comes to film.  I am still learning like crazy and have a ton to learn.  But I’m excited about it.  I was excited about learning digital, but not like this.  I didn’t write this to try and sway people to use film.  There are lots of write-ups out there about why film is better and so on – just do a quick search.  It would be awesome if more photographers used it, but thats not the point.  I wanted to throw this out there for the world to see.  Just maybe, someone else out there is going thru the same thing and considering the switch.  The important thing is when you do something … love it.

So I am now traveling down a path using film.  And for the first time in a while, I am 100% happy with the processing (much thanks to RPL) because it’s “me.”  I know see myself in each image.  I’m sure people will think I’m going backwards or something … but that couldn’t be further from the truth.  I am merely exploring and taking advantage of a different medium within photography.  I have a vision in mind which includes me, my clients, my 645, some film and a whole lotta emotion.

Get ready world.

Tags: ash imagery, Film, film vs digital, Life

disney: a la holga!

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Even though I love shooting digital, I come from film, chemistry, fiber paper and hands in the fixer.

My very, very first camera was my dad’s old Gaf 136 XF. It took Magicubes for flash and used 126 film cartridges. I still have the brown and black vintage camera. It’s totally beat up, full of personality and history. And there is still a cartridge of film in it. I know the cartridge has some of our family pictures on it…..

I was probably around 8 when my dad gave me this camera. And even though my father didn’t want to give up his camera (he loved taking pictures as much as I did), in the end he gave it to me. I was never the same after I got that camera in my hands. And ever since then I’ve always had a camera in my hands. Sure. They’ve evolved tremendously. That old Gaf and my D700 sit next to each other and it’s an amazing juxtaposition of technology and design.

So even though my D700 is the baddest around, I am an analog girl at heart. And so I’ve been very happy to say that I’ve found a great way to relieve that analog-angst via my Holga. I just got a pinhole Holga too, which I’m dying to try out.

And I also got the best gift an analog, lomo-loving photographer could want: a box full of 120 expired film, which made its way alllll the way from California, courtesy of the Icon lab. Thanks guys, you so rock! If you do film, check them out! They provide traditional and digital imaging services….follow them on Twitter here, visit their FB page here or check out their cool ass site, here!

And if you are a Lost fanatic, and love photography, take a look at the goodies they are offering here. Limited edition custom printed and numbered, fine art museum quality prints of the cast here!! Woot….

I digress.

So I took my Holga to our Disney trip in January of this year. Why do I love this camera? Cuz it’s FUN, and has NO dials or LCD panels or beeps or knobs or menus or battery packs. It’s LIGHTWEIGHT! It’s fun! Not that my D700 isn’t fun, but when I get to use the D700 all the time. When I’ve on vacation, I want to do something different and I also don’t want to carry around a ginormous camera….and let’s face it. I’d die if my D700 was stolen while on vacay….the Holga, no biggie to replace, right?

What I really love about the Holga though is that I don’t know what I am getting….I don’t receive instant gratification. I have to slow down. Take my time. Take in the scene and make different decisions.With the Holga, I don’t have that free-for-all that digital gives you, which means shooting hundreds of variations of the same image….uh uh!

With my Holga, I step back in time and slow down….and then I get to wait anxiously for the film to come back. It’s magic. And I love that it’s not a perfectly sharp, perfectly exposed and perfectly clean image. Right out of the camera it has ‘life lines’. Right out of the camera, it has sensuality. That’s film….!

And so here are three of my favorite shots from our trip….love you holga!

Tags: analog, disney, Film, holga, lomography, nikon d700, ramblings...

Joy and Justin | The Film | New York, NY

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I was so excited to join Brandon up in New York a few weeks back for a surprise shoot with Joy and Justin, two of our wedding clients from a couple years ago! The trip to NYC lasted less than 24 hours, but I was doubly excited to focus on shooting just film, which I’ve been wanting to do on a shoot for some time now! It was a little rainy in the Big Apple, but we were able to make do and spend a great day wandering around the city! Here’s some of my favorite frames from the day, which were all shot with a Contax 645…

A few with a old school feeling . . .

I just love the color in this one!

P.S. – IF you haven’t seen Brandon’s NYC images with Joy and Justin, check them out here!

- Stacey

Tags: alabama, Birmingham, city, color, d3, Engagement, Film, gresham, new, nikon, Photographer, photography, session, simple, simple-color, Weddings, york

Crawfish Boil

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We recently went to a crawfish boil at the home of one of Josh's work colleagues and I brought my Contax645 along.

Tags: Film

Ruth and Greg | On Film

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We got some film back from Richard Photo Lab this weekend, and had to share a few of Stacey’s shots from Ruth and Greg’s wedding down in Florida. These were all shot with the Contax 645 on Kodak film. You can see Ruth and Greg’s full wedding blog post here.

Tags: alabama, beach, Birmingham, color, d3, Film, Florida, gresham, hotel, isis, nikon, Photographer, photography, redington, simple, simple-color, Weddings

Happy Birthday Chris!

Today is a very special day :)

It is the day that my sweet man was born. My heart feels overtaken with love when I think about how much my husband means to me. He loves me unconditionally, he laughs at my stupid jokes, he pushes me to be a better woman than I could ever imagine, and even after seven years together he can still make my heart flutter. So today, I just wanted to do a post to honor him on his Birthday.... To my soul mate and my very best friend, I wouldn't be anywhere without you. Thank you for loving me even when it's hard and I am stubborn and difficult. Thank you for always listening and for sharing your nook with me. I love your nook. It's my favorite place in the world. I'm looking forward to celebrating many more birthdays together and opening cheesy homemade cards even when our eyes are so old they cannot see what is directly in front of them. 

This birthday Chris and I took a surprise trip to Palm Springs. We're spending a few days just being together and celebrating life.

Happy Birthday to you love!

and post script for any photo geeks out there that are curious these frames were shot with our Leica M6 and are straight out of camera... film = muy yummy.

Tags: Chris and Sarah, Chris Rhodes, Creative Lifestyle Photographers, Film, Happy Birthday Chris, International Wedding Photographers, Jesh de Rox, Leica, Leica M6, Life as an Artform, Personal, Sara Rhodes, Sarah and Chris, Sarah Rhoades, Sarah Rhoads, Sarah Rhoads Photographers, Vintage Cameras, vintage car

Tuesdays with Nate | Vintage Cameras, Family, and Film

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Most of you regulars know that I’ve taken to collecting vintage cameras. A big part of that is, actually let’s just attribute all of it to, my dad. We were visiting my family in St. Augustine a while back, and like normal my family busted out all sorts of embarrassing pictures of me. One of those pictures happened to have great lighting and a nice background blur, so naturally I asked, “What was this taken with?” To which my dad, after rummaging around in his closet for a minute, said, “This” and handed me a shoebox with an Olympus OM-1 inside. A few months later, when my dad asked what I wanted for Christmas, I told him I wanted a medium format camera. So for Christmas I got a Yashica D twin lens, and a month later for my birthday he got me an Argus C-44 Rangefinder and an Exacta G 35mm (1950s from Dresden Germany). On our last trip home for my nephews birthday, there was another box of goodies waiting for me: several Brownie box cameras and a fairly new Polaroid SX-70. That on top of Becka’s newest aquisition, her vintage Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera, and we’ve got quite a collection going now.

I shot some frames while Ian and I were brewing beer and last week we took the Yashica and Olympus out to DeLeon Springs in DeLand and Becka did an amazing job on her first try using a manual film camera.

Brewing Beer | Fujicolor Pro 160 on the Yashica D by me:

DeLeon Springs | Fujicolor Pro 160 on the Yashica D by Becka:

These images have not been retouched at all. We just scanned them into the computer from the prints we got from the lab and sized them for the blog. Becka is kind of in love with the natural tones of the color film and refuses to mess with them. It has a quality you just can’t replicate in photoshop. But as great as all the cameras are, the real joy for me has been spending time with my family, finding something new to bond over, and sharing in the excitement with each other. Using the cameras isn’t too bad either. I know Becka has been feeling a bit guilty that we don’t take many personal photos of our life, and she’s enjoying shooting more day to day with these new (old) toys. Hopefully we’ll build up a nice collection of images for our future children and grandchildren to look through and mock us about. I wish it hadn’t taken so long for me to realize how valuable my family can be, and how valuable they are to me, but I’ve definitely started taking advantage of every opportunity to spend time with them. Was there something that happened with you that made you really start to appreciate your family?

Also, we have a bit of a problem now. We’ve got two boxes worth of cameras and camera bits and no where to put them. Becka is imagining a guest room makeover with one of those super long floating shelves from ikea to show off all these bad boys. Do you have any good display ideas? They’re just too sexy to keep boxed up.

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PS. We’re currently updating our portfolio website so if you’ve noticed anything quirky happening on the blog, website, or anything like that, don’t worry. We’re just getting stuff moved around and will be launching the made-over site soon.

Tags: Film, Life as we know it, Tuesdays With Nate

Film is Not Dead

One of our dear friends, Jonathan Canlas, is putting on a couple of incredible workshops this year that we are so excited to join in on! One of the highlights of WPPI was going to hear Jonathan speak at his platform. We left totally inspired and I find myself saying "AMEN!" after just about everything Jon says. He is the real deal. He believes, owns and practices the philosophy that GIVERS GAIN and holds nothing back. While we were at his talk he did a drawing where everyone submitted their business cards and the best designed one got a free spot to his Film is Not Dead workshop in San Diego! Well lucky us we won one spot! Both of us will be heading down to California for this AMAZING workshop July 26-28th and Chris and I cannot wait to grow and be enriched from someone we respect and love as much as Jonathan. 

Tags: Business, California, Chris and Sarah Rhoads, Film, Film is Not Dead, FINAO, FIND, Fuji, FujiFilm, Givers Gain, Instaproofs, Jonathan Canlas, Learning, Processing Images, San Diego, Sara Rhodes, Sarah Rhoads Film, Sarah Rhodes, Sarah Rhodes Film, workshop, wppi

Last Shot.

Sometimes its hard for me to stop photographing at a session.  I love what i do and get in that zone.  But eventually, i have to stop.  Even after i inform my clients we are finished, and the anticipation of seeing the final images is fresh in the air, my eye is still wandering.  I’m always looking around until my camera equipment is away and i’m basically forced to stop and leave.  It happens at almost every session.

At this particular session we were finished.  But i had 1 shot left on my rz67.  1 B&W shot.  We walked back to where our cars were located and paused.  But being that i’m always looking around, i noticed a little trail around the side of the building.  And if you are a client or friend reading this, you know if i see something i immediately shout “wait.”  This time was no different.  I had to check out this spot.  There was no way i could leave without doing so and i was rewarded right away.  But with 1 film shot i had get it right.  It wasn’t a “digital” shot.  I waited, and waited – hoping they wouldn’t blink – checked my settings about 15 times … and fired.

While i had lots of favs for this session – which you will see soon – the last one definitely stands out in the crowd.

So in the future, don’t hesitate.  Take that last shot.

Tags: ash imagery, Engagement, Film, Life, philadelphia engagement photographer, Philadelphia Photographer, philadelphia photographers, Philadelphia Wedding Photographer, Portrait

The Hasselblad at CDC

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I took my camera to the boys' school a few weeks ago and got some shots of them playing with their friend Carter. That is such a special place.

Tags: Film