Stream of Consciousness

by Walter Levy, introduction and editing by Johnny Martyr, not AI Walter Levy is an associate and friend who I’ve enjoyed talking with about writing and photography for several years. In his CV, Walter says that he uses his photography to “explore my inner life and tell the world who I am.” I found this statement particularly relatable, as well as the stylings and character of his work. In fact,…

by Johnny Martyr, not AI I’ll be honest, my photography business is struggling. And I wanted to discuss it both for catharsis and in hopes that my experiences might be of some use to readers. I have also been feeling the need to explain why you might not see as much new work from me as you were for some time. Because paid photography is a part time gig for me and I value time to myself and with…

by Johnny Martyr, not AI Booking photography gigs is stressful. More than the many technical and social challenges of each job, a big source of the stress for me is the calendar itself. Filling gaps in my schedule with meaningful work and simply coordinating my, my wife’s, my kids and of course, my clients’ schedules can drive me crazy! When they work out, a last minute wedding booking is a…

by Johnny Martyr, not AI For the last several years, my wife has shot competition photos for Frederick Gymnastics Club. This involves photographing a varying number of 3-4 hour sessions across a three day weekend. Because some sessions have two home teams competing simultaneously, two photographers are needed. For years, I wasn’t interested in working this gig because, as a film photographer,…

by Johnny Martyr, not AI As much as I prefer to shoot film, like pretty much everyone else, I use my cell phone camera for unartistic, basic documentation or when a film camera is not possible to use. Unlike film photography, my cell phone photography is not very tightly curated. So despite their small file size, over time, it’s easy to accumulate a large digital footprint consisting of…

by Johnny Martyr, not AI*header image courtesy of https://wideluxx.com/ I have never owned a Widelux and will likely never own a Widelux but man, I’ve always been fascinated with them! I even got to hold one once! So maybe? These 35mm and 120 panoramic scale focus cameras were precision-built by Panon Camera Shoko from the 1950s through 2000. They rely on a swing-lens mechanism that physically…

by Johnny Martyr, not AI It’s been over a week since Kodak launched their “new” film lines and the reasons for the move have been explained elsewhere, but I still see people misunderstanding. The other night, I had a great conversation with a buddy of mine who has worked for Kodak many years. He broke it all down very simply for me and I’d like to try to reiterate it here. The new film…

by Johnny Martyr, not AI Social media invites the unscrupulous to lie in exchange for money. So let’s try to learn something from it. Afterall, life is full of useful lessons if we take a moment to consider things instead of just smashing the like button on every pretty image and positive sentiment that comes across our screen. I was checking Facebook today and saw a digital photo of a…

by Johnny Martyr, not AI As a creative person gains praise and popularity, there is a habit of relishing these compliments and basking in the perception of success. Don’t do that. You need to ignore the compliments. Rejection letters that begin with flattery are still rejection letters. When you’ve spent enough time carefully considering your approach and honing your craft, and it is truly…

by Johnny Martyr, not AI Tri-X 400 in HC110b has teeth.  Tri-X was formulated in the 1940s and is a classic cubic grain film.  It was built for utility and speed, not looking pretty or clean.   HC110 is a high acutance developer designed in the 1960s to shorten development times while retaining sharpness of high speed films like Tri-X. HC110 does nothing to soften the course edges of the cubic…

Text and Images by Dennis Santarinala, edited by Johnny Martyr I have photographed a few protests over the years, but ones that truly gave me that rush were the Dolores Park and Sacramento, California ICE OUT protests this past January. Each protest I observe feels different. The more I photograph them, the more I start to notice added elements and patterns. I begin to recognize the types of…

by Johnny Martyr, not AI I honestly get a little bored just laying in the sun at the beach. I prefer to take a walk. And when I walk with a camera in hand along the coastline, I find it quite fun and engaging to shoot random passersby and beach bums using the same techniques as I would for street photography. It’s all the same technical basics – stop down and use hyperfocal distance. Pretend…

by Johnny Martyr, not AI Someone asked on Facebook, why the bag of Kodak D76 powder that they just bought was not labeled D76 anywhere on the bag. Without really answering the question a “Top contributor” commented “Not worth buying anymore. All Kodak chems went to shit years ago. Last few bags I bought of d76 and dektol was brown powder and they tried telling me was fine. Best to just move to…

by Johnny Martyr, not AI When it comes to vintage Leica repair, there is a surprising amount of service still offered by Leica themselves. However, costs are considerable and Leica Service often require photographers to have smaller, ancillary issues addressed along with whatever it is they mail their camera in for. When you have a more targeted job that you don’t want the camera fully rebuilt…

by Johnny Martyr, not AI It’s been said that available light photographers just don’t know how to use flash. But I believe that effective available light photography requires just as much an understanding of how light falls and flatters but is merely free from the burdens of timely electronics. Available light portrait sessions can feel liberating and simple, allowing the photographer to…

by Johnny Martyr, not AI Troubleshooting film photographs does not begin with asking random people on the internet for help. And even though this is how you became aware of a problem, troubleshooting definitely does not begin with looking at the scans of your negatives. TROUBLESHOOTING ALWAYS BEGINS WITH THE NEGATIVES When you get bad scans back from your lab, DO NOT go immediately to a film…

by Johnny Martyr, not AI When comedian Ahri Findling used a photo that I took of him as the punchline of an Instagram carousel, I was flattered. But when the format became an ongoing series, I anticipating each new installment. Ahri opened for Nikki Glaser at the Warner Theatre in Washington DC last year. He and I immediately bonded over his bit about people who still use Hotmail email…