And The Winners Are…

I say it all the time but it never gets old, I really love my readers. They are such great people and have always had my back through the years and helped push me to grow as a photographer, as a writer, and as a person. This site has been such a source of happiness for me and I am grateful every time I hear from someone who writes to let me know they enjoyed something I wrote or shared. This is why I always love to do giveaways like this. I can’t do it all the time, obviously, but when I can it feels wonderful to give back.

At any rate, I have emailed the winners to let them know they have won so if you did not receive an email I am sorry that I could not share something great with you this time around. I will try to do something similar in the future. Maybe not always with fancy things like cameras and headphones but at least the occasional print giveaway.

Now that this is out of the way I would like to peak into the future and mention that I have all the intentions in the world of opening a little shop here on 50ft. Somewhere to sell prints, shirts, and other fun things I find. I can not say when this will come into existance but I am doing what I can in the time I have between my responsibilities in life to make it happen. Hopefully I can get something up and going in the first quarter of next year but don’t hold me to that, I do my best around here but have to put other responsibilities first sometimes.

So again, thank you all for your continued support! Heres to making 2012 the best year yet for fiftyfootshadows! I will be back up and running with regular posting in the new year and as usual I have some great stuff lined up to share so stick around and I will see what I can rustle up. First thing will be a new 50ft Radio mix which I hope to post this week as well as a great new guest desktop.

Letting Go

I noticed this one leaf while out shooting among a field of winter brown and green, lit calmly by the setting sun I was walking toward another subject at the time but had to stop to grab a couple shots of this because I love turning such simple, minimal subjects into something grand. I had nearly forgotten about the photos until tonight while looking around for a new image to share. Seems to be one of those rare last leaves of fall that just refuse to let go of what they have.

Oddly enough, this left me feeling sentimental for things left behind (so pardon me while I think out loud). Life goes by so quickly sometimes and while there are instances where letting go is the best thing you can do, I still feel there is so much you should hold close and never let go of. We are constantly reminded to leave the past behind and live today like its our last, or other such motivational this and that, but hearing it gets tiresome after a while. Our minds gloss over advice amid our busy digital lives and being social within this weird new definition of the word where you don’t actually have to be with anyone to be social. This or we take this kind of  life advice to heart and become so desperate to connect with our inner selves that we end up getting lost in the very act of trying. This makes it harder to feel much honest connection with notable moments in our lives and by the time we realize how great life has been it’s already passed us by. I always remind myself not to forget that every moment I am alive I am graced with something undeniably beautiful if I look closely enough and pay attention. Both in times of unbearable joy or times of hardship and struggle.

One of the saddest things anyone has ever said to me was while they were looking at a photo of me taken when I was a teenager. She told me I was so beautiful when I was young but it made her sad. When I asked why she replied, “it’s your eyes, there seems to be something in them here that I don’t see anymore.” That stuck with me over the years and ever since then I have been trying to get it back. I realized that to be honestly happy about my life and everything that happens within it I must embrace all of it, good and bad. It’s important to keep your imagination and lust closely guarded and never stop exploring, stay hungry and foolish so they say. The most creative, capable people out there in this world are the ones able to take experiences from the past and use the knowledge and emotion surrounding them to build a better tomorrow rather than letting themselves get lost in a maze of regret.

One last thought I would like to include that feels like it ties in to what I am waxing poetic about is probably my favorite Steve Jobs Quote which is on creativity:

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people. Unfortunately, that’s too rare a commodity. A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have.” Steve Jobs, Wired, February, 1995

Sentimental rambling aside, as much as I love the lens I shot the above with, the 55mm f/1.2 Olympus Zuiko, I have decided to sell it and buy down into the more modest 50mm f/1.4 in the same series. Mostly because I feel as though I could spend that money better elsewhere. I know it seems like I never stop with the cameras and lenses and friends give me a hard time about it but I love to explore everything photography has to offer. I like taking digital photos but left it behind emotionally  for reasons I can’t quite put into words. Keeping up with digital photo tech just got old and when I realized my 5d was more than enough camera to satisfy my digital needs I stuck with it and put my curiosity elsewhere.

Film cameras and experimenting with them brings me so much more excitement and satisfaction that I can’t help but want to continue on exploring. This and I know readers love to hear about interesting new cameras and opinions on them and the only way to continue this is to keep trying new systems and reporting back to you.

Gift Giving

I love giving things away to readers, not for any sort of promotional gain really, just for the sake of putting cool things into the hands of those who have supported me. I had intended to give away a couple of things on the launch of the new design but because it happened so close to the holidays I chose to wait until now. I bought a new Holga 120N (plus a roll of Kodak Ektar to get you started) and pair of my current favorite pair of headphones, the AiAiAi Tracks, with the sole intention of giving them away. They were not given to me from any company as a promotional giveaway so this is not one of those advertised giveaways you see all over the place. Just me wanting to do something nice for my readers. In addition to these two gifts I also have four 5×7 darkroom prints which I made recently that I would also like to giveaway, you can see scans of them below. (or on flickr as well)

I have thought a long while about how to go about giving this stuff away. I don’t really want to do one of those silly retweet to win campaigns because they kind of annoy me, and I don’t want to make it difficult so I think I will simply do what I have done in the past and use the comments below as a means to collect entries and draw from that list to pick the winners. I do have one curve to add to the process which I will describe below.

To enter to win one of these great items simply enter your name and email (which is kept private and will never ever be used for anything other than this drawing) into the normal comment fields below. Then, in the main comment entry field, write in either Holga or Tracks as the item you would like to have the opportunity to win. I will split these two into separate drawings and select those winners first then I will enter the remaining entries into the giveaway for one of the four prints. If you would like to only enter for a print then simply mention this in the comment field. I will let the winners of the prints choose which they want in order of which they were picked to win.

I decided to split the two because I know not all of my readers will be interested in owning a Holga and I ask that you only enter to win it if you are interested in trying a fun film camera. I would be happy to give advice on using it and even help you find a place to develop the film if you would like!

It should be ok to offer this to anyone outside of the US as well which is a slippery customs slope so if you know of any obvious regulation in your country that would make it hard for me to send the camera or the headphones then please, consider putting your name in for a print only.

I plan on closing the doors to new entries December 23rd and announcing the winner shortly thereafter. I will do my best to mail them off before the start of the new year.

While I don’t require this of you at all I would love it if you could mention to your friends or followers about fiftyfootshadows.net and let them know about this giveaway or the site in general. I thrive on your support which gives the site life and am always motivated push the site further when I read mail and comments from those who enjoy the site. As you know I devote more and more time to it as it grows and becomes more self sustaining so I can use all the help I can get, even in these little ways. Thanks so much and good luck in the drawing!

Antelope Island

First of all, isn’t this a great photograph? I love the way the plant life in the front of the image gives a nice overall softness yet when your eyes are inevitably sucked inward to the buffalo there is a crisp sharpness. I’m jealous of this shot because it’s not one of my own. I wanted to kick off my guest desktop series with a great image and one has stuck in my mind for quite some time now which I found among a readers web site and knew I would eventually have to find an excuse to post it eventually. The photographer is Tim Sondrup of Utah. I am happy to share this lovely image with everyone and I hope for it to mark the begining of a great new series on 50ft. As you may have noticed, wallpaper posts which contain photos that are not my own will have a nice little tag to let you know that it is a guest image. I have asked Tim to share a few thoughts on the photograph, so without further adeu, I will hand this over to him.

“Antelope Island State Park, located on the Great Salt Lake in Utah, is a quick 20-minute drive from my house, and yet whenever I go there, I feel like I’ve stepped into a whole other realm. The island is beautiful, immense, and perhaps more than anything, quiet. In addition to antelope and other wildlife, the island is home to more than 500 free-roaming bison, which can usually be seen from the main road. Such was the case with this particular bison on the horizon. I saw a perfect photo opportunity, framed my subject, and pressed the shutter button.” – Tim (Shot with a Canon EOS 5D & Canon EF 50mm f/1.4)

All I Want For Christmas

It’s that time of the year again and many out there are scratching their heads trying to decide what to get a friend or family member for Christmas. Of course most of us seem to hint heavily at something specific I like to think that a good surprise is still alive and well within the gift giving spirit. I don’t particularly like the crazed rush and pressure that comes with the holidays but I do enjoy sharing and gift giving so I thought it would be fun to assemble a photographer biased list of things to consider when looking for that special something. I did my best to avoid anything too horribly obvious and included a number of fun film cameras.
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Gordy’s Camera Strap

This guy makes amazing leather camera straps which are great for smaller and larger cameras alike. There are a number of options such as color and more or less padding to choose from and each strap is hand made and of the highest quality you could imagine a simple strap like this having. I bought one for my Olympus OM SLR and love it, its strong enough to leave the camera hanging from your wrist without worry when you need both hands and keeps your camera steady and safe otherwise. I love a good, high quality hand made product and this is one that excels. There is plenty of info on his site on different options and sizes.
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Souldier Seat Belt Camera Strap

For those who may be a bit more traditional about their camera strap, these straps from Souldier are the best around. Sturdy, dependable and gorgeous. They come in 23 different colors so you have a lot of unique options and they are also all made to order in Chicago. There is also an option to add padding in the middle which is handy because it does keep it from being too slippery. The padding is not very pretty though as it is a simple grey foam like material. I enjoy having it there but others may like the smoothness of not having any padding. I have used a red one for years now it seems and always get questions and compliments on it. It has been one of my favorite accessories and the perfect step up for any photographer wanting to ditch that ugly branded default strap.
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SuperHeads Wide and Slim Camera

These are cheap and a lot of fun to have around YoungDoo has been shooting with one for a good while now and I am always impressed with the results. It is about as simply as you can get, go out on a sunny day, point, and shoot. Load it up with any random film you can get your hands on and enjoy. If you know someone that enjoys playing around with different cameras this is a perfect new toy. The results offer a slightly distorted, wide angle effect as well as a nice contrasty, vignetted image. They come in a variety of colors so you can pick just the right one for the person you are gifting it too. A fun alternative to one of these would be a Juice Box Camera, seems childish but its super inconspicuous and a lot of fun to mess around with.
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Lomo LCA+

Sure, its not the cheapest gift at $250 but these are among the best all, point and shoot film cameras out there. I think they have been given a weird reputation because of its hipster “lomography” upbringing but they have been around forever and for good reason. The results are vivid and unique and I think its a great way to get into shooting with film because it offers something different from a camera offering clean or tidy results all the time. I find that it does take a little getting used to the quirks of the camera but once you get the hang of it it can be a realy satisfying little camera to have around. I think this would make for an unexpectedly fun gift for any open minded photographer. Have a look at some of the great images taken with these cameras on flickr.
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Gakkenflex

These can be a challenge but offer a fun, do it yourself, camera kit. They use 35mm film and offer a cool experience when putting them together as you see exactly how the camera functions. The photographic results are a mixed bag but you can get some cool images from it if you stick with it. Being a fixed shutter speed and aperture its another sunny day camera but its more for the experience I think, and this offers a great one. The original kit came packaged with a Japanese magazine and the instructions are all in Japanese but there are many guides online to help you out. Alternatively, you can get one with english instructions and different color options because a new company started to manufacture them again once they gained a cult like following, here.
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Sunprints Cyanotype Cotton Squares

This would make a great gift for just about anyone. They are cotton fabric squares treated with a cyanotype solution which allows you to lay one of the squares out in the sun and place opbjects on top of it which will create an image based on the shadow that is cast onto the square. You then simply rinse the square in water and the image will be on the fabric permanantly. It is a lot of fun and I think it would be a fantastic gift for children or anyone who enjoys experementing a bit. I love messing about with these. There are different sizes and even colors available as well as simple paper versions which cost a bit less.
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Zero Image 35mm Pinhole Camera

Know a photographer that likes to try new things? There is nothing more classic than a pinhole film camera and this is a great one. With its classic wooden body and brass knobs it’s a beauty and would be a great addition to any camera collection not to mention a lot of fun to use.
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Ari Marcopoulos Camera Bag

As many of you know already from my glowing review, I love this camera bag and feel it would be a great choice as a gift for any photographer not using a huge amount of gear. Keep in mind my note within my review about it maybe not being the best for someone with a smaller physical build. Otherwise you can’t go wrong with this fantastic bag.
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X-Rite ColorChecker Passport

While I don’t shoot with one of these I do think it would make for a nice gift to any photographer doing portrait work or simple commercial work. I have had my eye on one for quite some time now because I think it could be a quick, useful tool while out shooting to quickly get a handle on the white balance in post for those times when I want that extra bit of control and support. It’s a simple gadget that is portable and easy to use. You simply take a photo of the device before or during a shoot and use that shot as a quick refference tool to grab the perfect white balance for the situation at hand. Great for someone you know spends a bit too much time in post messing around with their white balances for every single photo.
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Gossen DigiSix Light Meter

This is my favorite portable light meter. Simple and stuffed full of abilities for its size and price, it’s a great option for anyone looking to get into using an older manual camera or those who want to experement and have a tighter control over their exposures. The one thing that is a bit annoying about it is that there is no ‘off’ so the buttons get pressed while in my bag. The battery lasts what seems like forever so its not that big of a deal and the good totally outweighs this one quirk.
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LensPen

If there is a photographer out there without one of these in their camera bag I have to question their sanity. Simple and cheap.
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Soft Release Shutter Button

When you grip your camera to take a photo it can be more of a natural feel to let the shutter button rest on the first joint of your finger rather than bending your finger to point down onto the shutter release button. A soft release is a simple screw on button designed to give extra height to the shutter release and in turn let you hold your camera more naturally. This leads to you being able to hold your camera in a steadier position letting you keep still at slower shutter speeds. I love them and use one on my older cameras which have a threded screw mount on the shutter release. So for anyone you know using a camera with a screw mount release these make a great addition. There is a handy list on the site that they originate from telling you which cameras work best with which release button. They are also available here which I have ordered from a few times, a great guy runs the site.
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Film Travel Case

I bought a few of these earlier this year and I love them, they are a great way to transport film. Both 35mm (without its original canister) and 120 film will fit. There is room for 6 rolls of 35mm or 4 rolls of 120 film, the only downside of the 35mm ability is that you really need to keep a full 6 rolls of film inside so they dont rattle around loosely inside. I still feel its a great accesory for anyone shooting film often and they are currently listed as clearance so they may not be available for much longer!
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Round Corner Cut Punch

Seems a bit of an odd thing to add to the list but I think its cool. A simple round corner cutter that allows you to give paper a rounded corner. I love putting round corners on printed photos, it gives them sort of a vintage feel. Also useful for postcards or anything really.
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A 35mm Film SLR

There are hundreds available on eBay as buy it now right around $100-200 with a simple 50mm lens. You just use your best intuition as far as which one you buy based on photos (make sure they are nice high quality images of the product), Seller feedback score, and an honest item description. I could easily suggest  an Olympus OM2 based on my own great experience, its a great sturdy camera and surprisingly compact for being an SLR. There are other classic options as well such as a Canon AE-1 or Nikon FM-2 which would give the photographer getting it the option of using the lens on their current DSLR should they already use a Nikon. Shooting with a film SLR is a quintessential experience for anyone wanting to call themselves a photographer.
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If you have any suggestions for something photography related that is fun or interesting, feel free to leave any ideas in the comments below. Also, due to a number of requests, I have made the image above available as a wallpaper, see links below.