While I love taking photos, trying "new" old cameras, different films etc. I am woefully (seriously, I am nothing if not full of woe) guilty of being un-organized when it comes to filing and storing my negatives, prints etc.
Sometimes even developing... As a testament to this last point, the color images featured here today were shot using my 1950 Kodak DuaFlex camera, in January of this year (nearly a full 12 months ago) and I just got around to developing them a couple weeks ago.
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| Burlington-Northern pulling out of Corona, CA. Kodak DuaFlex 100asa Color 120 film. ©Mike Vega 2012 |
So for me, even with the new year ahead, I have film from this year anchoring me to the past. Sounds dramatic eh'? While melancholy it may sound, I know that when I do finally start getting things organized it will include much careful pouring over each negative, filmstrip or print, trying to recall dates, places, cameras, and details of each.
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| Dragon Ride and vintage Ferris Wheels. Parking lot carnival, Riverside, CA. Kodak DuaFlex 100asa Color 120 film. ©Mike Vega 2012 |
I am making a resolution for 2013 to get more organized with my film and photo archives. Sleeves and binders will be purchased, time will be made, and the hard work of sorting and cataloging will be done. Make no mistake, with my other commitments, this will easily take the better part of the year.
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| El Rey Theatre (and moon) Los Angeles, CA. Kodak DuaFlex 100asa Color 120 film. ©Mike Vega 2012 |
I plan on working backwards through the material and I hope to post some of the images that I somehow skipped over when I originally shot and or developed them.
As this will be the last blog post I do this year I'm going to include more photos than I normally do.
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| All that remains of what was once a home... Mira Loma, CA. Kodak DuaFlex 100asa Color 120 film. ©Mike Vega 2012 |
The black and white images featured here were shot in December of 2012 in and around Southern California.
Disneyland is at once, a favorite place and least favorite place to shoot. The scenes can be wonderful, the crowds can be unforgiving...
Disneyland is at once, a favorite place and least favorite place to shoot. The scenes can be wonderful, the crowds can be unforgiving...
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| The Tower of Terror. Disneyland's California Adventure, Anaheim, CA. Tower 120 100asa B/W film. |
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| The Golden Zephyr. Disneyland's California Adventure, Anaheim, CA. Tower 120 100asa B/W film. |
The above photo of the Golden Zephyr is a hand-held long exposure (approx. 5 seconds), using 100asa black and white film. Amazingly, this time it turned out exactly as I imagined it. This was the 4th attempt at this shot over 3 visits to the park. I really like it.
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| El Rey Motel. Historic Route 66. Fontana, CA. Tower 120 100asa B/W film. |
I am always a sucker for old neon-signs, lit or not, still featuring the neon tubing or not...
In the mid-century when these signs became wildly popular, they were used as weapon in a battle for customers in the "auto-age" post WWII.
In the mid-century when these signs became wildly popular, they were used as weapon in a battle for customers in the "auto-age" post WWII.
Automobile vacations were the thing to do, and all those happy but road weary travelers would need lodging. One motel is as good as the next, no? Sometimes, it seemed that the only difference was the neon sign by the roadside.
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| Bono's Historic Orange. Route 66 Fontana, California. Tower 120 100asa B/W film. |
The last photo today will be of Bono's Historic Orange. Even with it's two strange and uncharacteristic light leaks, I like it.
This particular "orange" was originally built in 1936. It was saved from demolition in the 1990's and moved to its current location in 1997.
These giant Oranges served as beverage stands in an age of non-air-conditioned automobiles. To learn more about their legacy, follow this link: http://www.parzanese.net/weird/location.php?location=134 .
While it is rare that I actually plan a specific photo outting (other than a general direction to head in with my cameras) I do have something specific in mind for next year that I am very excited about. It is going to take a bit of planning and if it goes well, I'll deffinetly be writting a blog post about it.
While it is rare that I actually plan a specific photo outting (other than a general direction to head in with my cameras) I do have something specific in mind for next year that I am very excited about. It is going to take a bit of planning and if it goes well, I'll deffinetly be writting a blog post about it.
Thanks for reading.
See you next year!
-Mike
